Pathology - ​Alcohol Liver Disease

Pathology - ​Alcohol Liver Disease
Cause:
Drinking ethanol.
More prevalent among women.

Study of diseases 
Hepatic steatosis, often known as fatty liver, is an early and reversible condition characterized by the accumulation of lipid droplets in centrilobular hepatocytes, resulting in a yellow greasy appearance of the liver.
Alcoholic hepatitis is characterized by hepatocyte enlargement and necrosis, along with the presence of Mallory bodies, which are intracytoplasmic eosinophilic hyaline structures. Neutrophils have infiltrated the hepatocytes, leading to fibrosis in the sinusoidal and perivenular areas.
Alcoholic cirrhosis is characterized by a fatty enlarged liver that can become brown and shrink, along with uneven nodularity giving a hobnail appearance and fibrosis causing loss of hepatic architecture.
Hepatic steatosis with mild elevation in bilirubin levels and elevated alkaline phosphatase.

Clinical Symptoms 
Alcoholic hepatitis is a condition that develops following a period of excessive alcohol consumption and is characterized by symptoms such as loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and enlargement of the liver. The AST to ALT ratio is greater than 1.5, and there is an elevated white blood cell count.
Symptoms of alcoholic cirrhosis may include portal hypertension, jaundice, ascites, and increased liver function tests (LFTs).

Therapy 
Refraining from drinking; taking vitamins, particularly folate and thiamine; using methylprednisolone or pentoxifylline for severe instances of alcoholic hepatitis
Fatty liver can also be observed in cases of Reye syndrome viral infection, salicylate use in children, tetracycline toxicity, diabetes, malabsorption disorders, kwashiorkor, and hepatic failure during pregnancy.