eMedicine Specialties > Gastroenterology > Liver

Alcoholic Fatty Liver: Treatment & Medication

Author: Mohammad K Ismail, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Tennessee at Memphis
Coauthor(s): Caroline Riely, MD, Professor, Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Sep 15, 2008

Treatment

Medical Care

  • No specific medical treatment is needed for patients with alcoholic fatty liver. Steatosis usually resolves within 2 weeks of discontinuing alcohol.
  • Abstinence and adequate diet are the mainstays in therapy for alcohol-induced steatosis.
  • Bed rest has no proven benefit.
  • Anabolic steroids may be detrimental.
  • Management of patients with alcoholism and fatty liver often requires recognition and treatment of alcohol withdrawal.
  • These patients may have deficiencies of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. Adequate replacement of these deficiencies should be a part of management.
  • Although alcohol-induced hyperhomocysteinemia (which has been associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress leading to apoptosis and up-regulation of lipid synthesis) and its correction by betaine have been studied in animal models, no definite role of the use of betaine in alcoholic fatty liver in humans is available.

Consultations

  • Offer alcohol rehabilitation to all patients, with an understanding of the addictive problem of alcoholism.
  • Counsel patients on the detrimental effects of alcohol on the current liver problem and the likely progression to a more advanced form of liver disease with continued alcohol use.

Diet

  • No specific dietary restrictions are needed in patients with simple steatosis.
  • Protein-calorie malnutrition is a common finding for patients with ALD and is associated with major complications observed with cirrhosis. Consequently, recognizing and understanding the significance of malnutrition in these patients is very important.

Medication

No drug therapy is indicated for patients with alcoholic fatty liver unless the patient has alcoholic hepatitis.

More on Alcoholic Fatty Liver

Overview: Alcoholic Fatty Liver
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Alcoholic Fatty Liver
Treatment & Medication: Alcoholic Fatty Liver
Follow-up: Alcoholic Fatty Liver
References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic steatosis, alcoholism, fatty liver, alcohol-related fatty liver, alcoholic liver disease, alcohol-related liver disease, simple steatosis, alcohol-related steatosis, fatty acids, alcoholic complications, alcohol-induced steatosis, alcohol-induced fatty liver

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Mohammad K Ismail, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Tennessee at Memphis
Mohammad K Ismail, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association, and American Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Caroline Riely, MD, Professor, Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Caroline Riely, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Federation for Medical Research, American Gastroenterological Association, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and Society of Obstetric Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Ann Ouyang, MBBS, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine; Attending Physician, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Milton S Hershey Medical Center
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

James L Achord, MD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, University of Mississippi School of Medicine
James L Achord, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association, American Medical Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Mississippi State Medical Association, New York Academy of Sciences, Sigma Xi, and Southern Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Alex J Mechaber, MD, FACP, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Alex J Mechaber, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, and Society of General Internal Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Julian Katz, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hospital of the Medical College of Pennsylvania
Julian Katz, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association, American Geriatrics Society, American Medical Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Society of Law Medicine and Ethics, American Trauma Society, Association of American Medical Colleges, and Physicians for Social Responsibility
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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