Is Alcohol Abuse the Only Cause of Liver Diseases?

QUESTION: Must a person with liver disease (cirrhosis) always be indicted as
an alcohol abuser? Would you please discuss the causes of the disease and
indicate if there are any other possible explanations for the condition.
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ANSWER: Cirrhosis is actually a group of diseases that cause serious damage
to the body's largest organ--the liver.
As cirrhosis progresses, normal liver cells are replaced by scar tissue.
Since the liver provides the body with very important functions, the disease
is often fatal. The liver is involved in producing blood clotting factors,
blood proteins, bile and more than a thousand different enzymes, as well as
performing many other crucial functions.
To be accurate, alcohol abuse is by far the leading cause of this
disease, which kills more than 30,000 Americans a year. There are, however,
several other conditions that lead to cirrhosis. A small percentage of people
who suffer from chronic hepatitis develop cirrhosis. Diseases such as
hemochromatosis--when the body does not handle iron properly; and Wilson's
Disease--when the body handles copper abnormally--can cause cirrhosis.
Congenital and inherited conditions also cause this liver disease. Conditions
in which the body is not able to utilize sugar properly or deficiencies of
specific enzymes in the liver can also lead to cirrhosis. In rare cases, a
severe reaction to drugs, environmental toxins, some forms of heart disease,
parasitic conditions or obstruction of the bile ducts can cause scar tissue to
form on the liver.
When cirrhosis of the liver begins, it is often silent, showing no signs
or symptoms. But eventually, a sufferer may experience a loss of appetite,
nausea, vomiting, weight loss, itching, an enlarged liver, increased
sensitivity to drugs, vomiting of blood, abdominal swelling and jaundice.
Many patients never develop any symptoms, but lab tests may discover the
disease when they are performed for other ailments.
Further deterioration of the liver can often be stopped once cirrhosis is
diagnosed. Proper medications, in addition to total abstinence from any
alcohol containing beverages plus a wholesome diet, complete with needed
nutrients and vitamins, can do much to rectify the situation.