Alcoholic hepatitis is a liver condition that occurs as a result of heavy and long-term alcohol consumption. It is characterized by inflammation and damage to the liver cells and can range from mild to severe.

Symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis may include:

• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• Confusion or disorientation
• Bruising and bleeding easily
• Swelling in the legs, ankles, or belly

If not treated, alcoholic hepatitis can progress to more serious liver conditions, such as cirrhosis or liver failure. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening.

The best way to prevent alcoholic hepatitis is to avoid excessive alcohol consumption. If you think you may have the condition, it's important to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible. Treatment may involve stopping alcohol consumption, providing support for liver function, and treating any underlying infections or other conditions.

In some cases, liver transplantation may be necessary to treat severe alcoholic hepatitis or to prevent progression to more serious liver conditions.

If you're struggling with alcohol use or think you may have an alcohol use disorder, seeking help from a doctor, a mental health professional or a support group can help.

You might reduce your risk of alcoholic hepatitis if you:

• Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. For healthy adults, moderate drinking means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger. The only certain way to prevent alcoholic hepatitis is to avoid all alcohol.
• Protect yourself from hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is an infectious liver disease caused by a virus. Untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis. If you have hepatitis C and drink alcohol, you're far more likely to develop cirrhosis than if you didn't drink.
• Check before mixing medications and alcohol. Ask your doctor if it's safe to drink alcohol when taking your prescription medications. Read the warning labels on over-the-counter medications. Don't drink alcohol when taking medications that warn of complications when combined with alcohol — especially pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).

Treatment for alcoholic hepatitis involves quitting drinking and therapies to ease the signs and symptoms of liver damage.

Quitting drinking

If you've been diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis, you must stop drinking alcohol and never drink alcohol again. It's the only way to possibly reverse liver damage or prevent the disease from worsening. People who don't stop drinking are likely to develop a variety of life-threatening health problems.

If you are dependent on alcohol and want to stop drinking, your doctor can recommend a therapy that's tailored for your needs. It can be dangerous to stop drinking suddenly so if you're dependent, be sure to discuss a plan with your doctor.

Treatment might include:

• Medications
• Counseling
• Alcoholics Anonymous or other support groups
• Outpatient or residential treatment program

Treatment for malnutrition

Your doctor might recommend a special diet to correct nutritional problems. You might be referred to a dietitian who can suggest ways to increase your consumption of the vitamins and nutrients you lack.

If you have trouble eating, your doctor might recommend tube feeding. A tube is passed down your throat or through your side and into your stomach. A special nutrient-rich liquid diet is then passed through the tube.

Medications to reduce liver inflammation

If you have severe alcoholic hepatitis, your doctor might recommend:

• Corticosteroids. These medications have shown some short-term benefit in increasing the survival of certain people with severe alcoholic hepatitis. However, corticosteroids have serious side effects and generally aren't prescribed if you have failing kidneys, gastrointestinal bleeding or an infection.
• Pentoxifylline.Your doctor might recommend this anti-inflammatory medication if you can't take corticosteroids. The benefit of pentoxifylline (Pentoxil) for alcoholic hepatitis isn't clear. Study results are inconsistent.

Liver transplant

For many people with severe alcoholic hepatitis, the risk of death is high without a liver transplant.

Historically, those with alcoholic hepatitis have not been liver transplant candidates because of the risk that they will return to harmful drinking after transplant. Recent studies, however, suggest that carefully selected patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis have post-transplant survival rates similar to those of liver transplant recipients with other types of liver disease.