Alcohol-induced hepatitis is liver damage caused by over-consuming alcohol. It can progress to severe liver scarring called cirrhosis if you continue alcohol use.

Alcohol-induced hepatitis, formally called alcoholic hepatitis, is inflammation of your liver caused by consuming large amounts of alcohol, usually over many years. Your risk of developing it rises with increasing alcohol consumption.

Cirrhosis is severe scarring in your liver. It’s a potential complication of alcohol-induced hepatitis that can dramatically impair your quality of life and overall health.

Hepatitis may be reversible if you quit alcohol and avoid other substances that damage your liver. Cirrhosis is generally not considered reversible, although recent evidence suggests that the liver may have some ability to reverse scarring.

Read on to learn more about the similarities and differences between alcohol-induced hepatitis and cirrhosis.

Symptoms of alcohol-related liver damage tend to get progressively worse as liver damage increases.

Alcohol-induced hepatitis symptoms

Alcohol-induced hepatitis is characterized by a history of chronic alcohol consumption at least 3 to 4 weeks before the onset of:

Cirrhosis symptoms

You may not have symptoms in the early stages of cirrhosis, but as your liver damage gets worse, you might develop:

Later symptoms might include:

While alcohol-induced hepatitis is caused by alcohol consumption, cirrhosis can be caused by alcohol consumption and a number of other disorders.

Alcohol-induced hepatitis causes

Chronically high alcohol consumption can lead to inflammation in the liver and fat deposits called alcoholic steatohepatitis or fatty liver disease, which occurs in about 20% to 40% of people who drink heavy amounts of alcohol.

Alcohol-induced hepatitis is a clinical diagnosis, meaning you may be diagnosed if you develop characteristic signs and symptoms of liver inflammation.

Cirrhosis causes

Cirrhosis may develop if you continue to drink alcohol after developing alcohol-induced hepatitis. Cirrhosis is the eleventh most common cause of death worldwide. Additional causes include:

Your risk of developing alcohol-induced hepatitis or cirrhosis increases with alcohol consumption.

Alcohol-induced hepatitis risk factors

Your risk of developing alcohol-induced hepatitis increases with higher amounts of alcohol consumption.

A typical person who receives a diagnosis is between the ages of 40 and 60 with a history of more than 100 grams of alcohol consumed per day for a decade. One standard drink contains roughly 14 grams of alcohol.

Other risk factors include:

  • high body mass index (BMI)
  • female sex
  • having a genetic variant like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3

Cirrhosis risk factors

The main risk factor for alcohol-related cirrhosis is chronically high alcohol consumption. In a 2020 study, researchers found evidence that:

  • former drinkers had a three times higher risk than long-time alcohol abstainers for liver cirrhosis
  • the risk for cirrhosis increased exponentially at amounts over one drink per day
  • drinking daily and outside of meals increases the risk of liver cirrhosis at all levels of alcohol intake

It’s important to contact your doctor if you develop any potential symptoms of liver damage.

Medical emergency

Call emergency medical services or go to the nearest emergency room if you develop the following symptoms of acute liver failure:

  • vomiting blood
  • passing blood in your stools
  • jaundice
  • pain in your upper right abdomen
  • dark urine

Your doctor will start by considering your symptoms and medical history, as well as performing a physical exam. If they suspect you may have a liver problem, you may receive other tests like:

The main treatment for alcohol-induced liver disease is quitting drinking. This can be difficult, but a doctor can help build a plan that works for you.

Alcohol-induced hepatitis treatment

The most important treatment for alcohol-induced hepatitis is to quit drinking. No medications can treat it directly, but you may receive the steroid prednisolone to reduce inflammation.

A doctor might also recommend certain vitamins or additional supplements if you have complications from chronic alcohol use.

Cirrhosis treatment

The only thing that can cure cirrhosis is a liver transplant. Treatment aims to manage symptoms. Along with quitting drinking, options include:

  • seeking medical help for alcohol dependency
  • low sodium diet for fluid retention
  • blood pressure medications for portal hypertension
  • antibiotics for infections
  • liver transplant

Learn more about cirrhosis medications.

People with alcohol-induced hepatitis may have a normal life span if they quit drinking. People with alcohol-associated cirrhosis can expect to live 14 to 16 years less than the average person.

The best way to prevent alcohol-related liver damage is by avoiding alcohol or, if you do drink, minimizing your consumption.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even moderate drinking may increase your risk of alcohol-related complications compared to not drinking.

How long does it take for alcohol-induced hepatitis to turn into cirrhosis?

Most people who develop alcohol-related cirrhosis have a history of heavy drinking lasting more than a decade. Alcohol-induced fatty liver disease has about a 10% chance of progressing to cirrhosis after 10 years.

Can you recover from alcohol-induced hepatitis?

You may be able to reverse alcohol-induced hepatitis if you quit drinking alcohol.

Can you get cirrhosis without alcohol-induced hepatitis?

Cirrhosis can also develop as a result of other causes of liver damage, such as viral infections, some genetic conditions, and autoimmune hepatitis.

Alcohol-induced hepatitis is inflammation in your liver caused by a chronically high consumption of alcohol. Cirrhosis is scarring in your liver that can develop after many years of high alcohol consumption.

You can prevent alcohol-induced hepatitis from progressing to cirrhosis by quitting drinking alcohol. Continuing to drink can put you at risk of severe liver damage and liver failure.