CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO TREATING ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE

Abstract

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a spectrum of liver damage caused by the excessive consumption of alcohol, leading to conditions such as fatty liver. Excessive alcohol use results in various hepatic diseases, the most common being fibrosis/cirrhosis, hepatitis, and fatty liver (steatosis). ALD is the leading cause of alcohol-related deaths among adults worldwide. Factors influencing the progression of the disease include ethnicity, gender, age, viral hepatitis, genetic variations, smoking, and obesity. Corticosteroid treatment, particularly prednisolone, is the most commonly prescribed therapy for adults with ALD due to its ability to reduce the immune response and pro-inflammatory cytokine response. Liv-52, a herbal formulation widely used in Indian traditional medicine, is another treatment option. For patients with end-stage liver failure, liver transplantation remains the preferred therapy.