Stopping alcohol can potentially reverse liver injury before it leads tocirrhosis, the most advanced stage of AFLD.
This article explains how alcoholic hepatitis develops and ways to recognize it when it occurs.
It also describes how alcoholic hepatitis is treated, including its impact on life expectancy.
Illustration by Julie Bang for Verywell Health
With that said, alcoholic hepatitis is not dose-dependent.
With AFLD, the overconsumption of alcohol causes the accumulation of fat in the liver, known ashepatosteatosis.
Hepatitis disrupts thenormal function of the liver.
Among other things, it speeds up thenormal breakdown of red blood cellsin the liver.
This breakdown leads to the excessive release of a yellowish waste product calledbilirubin, which causes jaundice.
Between 10% and 20% of people with alcoholic hepatitis will progress tocirrhosis.
Alcoholic hepatitis is characterized by the rapid onset of hepatitis symptoms, otherwise known as acute hepatitis.
The symptoms may start mildly and become progressively worse if drinking continues.
Both are signs of severe liver dysfunction.
All of these are common in people withalcohol use disorder(alcoholism).
MELD scores range from 6 for mild liver dysfunction to 40 for severe liver disease.
MELD scores can also predict the likely outcome (prognosis) of treatment.
For those who quit, liver enzymes will usually return to normal within a few months.
Continued cessation can also reverse AFLD.
Continued heavy drinking can increase the risk of cirrhosis, which largely is irreversible.
Cirrhosis is considered compensated when the liver is still functional.
When the damage is so extensive as to causeliver failure, you are said to have decompensated cirrhosis.
With end-stage liver disease, aliver transplantis the only means of survival.
In some people, the damage can be permanent and even deadly.
Along with ascites and hepatic encephalopathy, variceal bleeding is associated with an increased risk of death.
Studies suggest that severe alcoholic hepatitis is associated with a 180-day mortality (death) rate of 40%.
Moreover, it increases the risk of cirrhosis ninefold compared to people with mild hepatitis.
This increases the risk of variceal bleeding and irreversible liver damage.
What Is the Life Expectancy With Cirrhosis?
Cirrhosis is linked to reduced life expectancy.
By 10 years, the survival rate drops to 54%.
Predicting Survival
Life expectancy can also be estimated based on MELD scores.
These are many of the same emotions that cause people to drink excessivelyand in secrecyin the first place.
It is for this reason that “going it alone” may not be in your best interest.
Mild alcoholic hepatitis may resolve with no lasting injury once drinking is stopped.
Severe cases can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure if drinking continues.
The treatment of alcohol hepatitis varies based on the severity of liver injury but invariably involves quitting alcohol.
Corticosteroid drugs or a liver transplant may be needed in severe cases.
2017;38(2):147-161. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000002877
Morgan TR.Treatment of alcoholic liver disease.Gastroenterol Hepatol (NY).2017;13(7):425427.
