Hepatology/Alcoholic Liver Disease

Alcoholic liver disease characteristically progresses through successive stages before terminating in cirrhosis, the end stage live disease. the disease, a companion to uncontrolled, prolonged alcohol ingestion takes years to develop(5-10 years). the first change which is noticeable is, fatty change of the liver. then comes the alcoholic hepatitis stage characterized by the inflammatory process and then the stage of cirrhosis. laboratory findings include AST level increase in particular. cirrhosis itself proceeds through micro nodular and macronodular stages and finally ending in a shrunken , fibrotic liver.