A recent study conducted by the Digestive Disease Research Core Center (DDRCC) at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) sheds light on why doctors should be cautious while using a typical liver function test to diagnose alcoholic cirrhosis. Alcoholic cirrhosis is a severe form of liver disease caused by chronic ethanol use, which causes inflammation and scarring of the liver. Only about half the people diagnosed with advanced liver disease caused by cirrhosis can live for a year, so early detection is critical.
Although cirrhosis is not usually reversible, early detection allows doctors to encourage patients to stop drinking and provide treatment that can alleviate symptoms and lengthen life expectancy. The need for accurate diagnosis The presence of elevated levels of enzymes known as aminotransferases in the liver is a common way to diagnose patients with alcoholic…
