Alcoholic Liver Injury Experienced in Our Department : from the Result for the Past Five Years

According to the increase of the alcoholic consumption, the rate of the alcoholic liver disease against the total liver disease accounted for 10% in 1977. Paying attention to the significance of the alcohol as cause of the chronic liver disease, we will report the investigation about the cases of chronic liver disease including the alcoholic liver disease which has entered our department in the past five years. The rate of the alcoholic liver disease against the total liver disease has tended to increase about up to 30% in the past five years. Of the alcoholic liver disease, liver cirrhosis was overwhelmed majority, and the secound was liver fibrosis. With getting age, fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and liver fibrosis seemed to increase. General fatigue and anorexia were frequent as the symptom, while hepatomegaly was characteristic in alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Regarding blood examination, many cases of alcoholic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis showed hypoalbuminemia and anemia, while in many of alcoholic hepatitis and fatty liver leucocytosis was seen. The abnormality of the γ-GTP level was frequent in the alcoholic hepatitis and the liver fibrosis. The level of serum IgA elevated gradually according to the liver damage by the alcohol. From this analysis, characteristics of alcoholic liver disease was shown clearly.