Long Term Effects of Alcohol: Livers and etc

Liver and alcohol - Our livers make a special substance that breaks down alcohol and burns it as fuel.  However, alcohol exhausts the livers ability to do this and too much too often can damage the liver permanently. The liver carries out many important functions and it is impossible to live without this organ.  It stores glycogen, breaking it down into glucose that is then released inot the bloodstream providing energy.

It also processes fats and proteins from digested food, produces essential clotting substances, removes poisons and toxins from the body and produces bile that passes into the gut and helps with the digestion of fats.
 

Alcohol related cirrhosis usually develops after ten or more years of heavy drinking and affects about 10% of heavy drinkers.  Some people are more susceptible to liver cell damage than others and the reasons for this are unknown.

Liver damage (cirrhosis) progresses slowly and gradually causes a decline in the liver function. There may not be symptoms in the early stages, but as the condition of the liver deteriorates, serious problems develop, for example, the liver will fail to control infection and blood clotting and prevent bile from passing into the large intestine.

As the healthy liver tissue is destroyed, and scar tissue builds up, the liver will lose its ability to function properly.

Symptoms may include:

• Tiredness and weakness
• Loss of appetite, feeling sick and vomiting
• A build up of fluid in the bloodstream, legs (oedema) and abdomen (ascites)
• Weight loss
• A tendency to bruise and bleed easily
• Jaundice (due to a build up of bilirubin)
• Itchiness due to a build up of toxins
• Personality and behaviour changes can occur due to the toxins in the blood stream affecting the brain.  You may become confused, forgetful and have difficulty concentrating.  Severe changes can lead to a loss of consciousness, coma and death.

As the cirrhosis develops the scar tissue restricts blood flow through the liver.  The pressure in the vein that normally transports blood from the gut to the liver will increase, leading to hypertension.  This can cause the veins in the lining of the oesophagus and stomach to swell.  These swellings (varices) often bleed into the gut, leading to vomiting blood and also passing blood in faeces.

Apart from liver cirrhosis, what other long term health effects are there?

Cancer

After smoking, drinking alcohol is the second biggest risk factor for cancers of the mouth and throat.  Drinking and smoking together carries the highest risk.   People who develop alcohol related cirrhosis can also develop liver cancer.

Mental health problems

There is a link between drinking too much alcohol and mental health problems.  Heavy use can cause anxiety and depression and also can affect memory, leading to longer term problems.

Heart Disease

In men over forty and women past the menopause, small amounts of alcohol may reduce the risk of heart disease, however with the increased risk of hypertension and weight gain, some risks of heart disease remain the same.

Stroke

Drinking more than the sensible limits dramatically increases the risk of having a stroke. a 20 year study of 6000 Scottish men found that those who drank more than five units a day were twice as likely to die from a stroke compared to non drinkers.

Strokes are caused either by blood clots obstructing the cerebral circulation or by blood vessels rupturing and leaking into the brain. A very heavy session (more than 8 units for men and 5 for women) causes dehydration and makes the blood thicker and more likely to form clots, both in the brain and elsewhere.  Prolonged heavy use of alcohol also raises blood pressure and can be another cause of stroke.

Changes in physical appearance 

Due to the calorie content of alcoholic drinks, weight gain among people who drink to excess is common. Alcohol affects the circulation by expanding blood vessels and this can cuase thread veins, often on the face and purple, bulbous ‘ drinkers nose’ Heavy drinkers may not be eating properly and too much alcohol prevents the body absorbing the nutrients it needs. This can lead to poor skin and brittle hair and nails. Prolonged heavy drinking makes men’s breasts get bigger.

Diabetes

 Due to the likelihood of weight gain, as with many overweight people, regular heavy drinkers can go on to develop diabetes.  This can be because of the weight gain but can also be related to chronic pancreatitis.

Sexual health problems

Too much alcohol can shrink genitals and affect fertility. Alcohol should be avoided by women planning to conceive and who are pregnant. Being drunk can loosen inhibitions and affect judgement, heightening the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. It can also make it more liable that you will have unwanted sex. Drinking alcohol lowers sperm counts in men and makes it more difficult for woment to get pregnant. Even young women who drink heavily can find tha ttheri periods stop altogether.

Pancreatitis

Long term heavy drinkers can develop this painful, and sometimes life threatening, condition. The pancreas makes insulin and other substances to properly digest food.  If left untreated, pancreatitis causes malnutrition and can lead to diabetes.  In the UK, approximately 500 people per year die of alcohol related pancreatitis.

Memory problems

Not only can people fail to remember what happened after a sustained drinking session, persistent heavy drinkers can develop chronic problems with memory loss.  A type of dementia called Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome is caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency, which is in turn brought on by alcohol abuse over a long period.

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