ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE: ISSUES OF ETIOLOGY AND THE IMPACT OF RISK FACTORS (LITERATURE REVIEW)

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is one of the main causes leading to chronic liver disease. Alcoholic liver disease is a set of cascading events, consisting first of alcoholic hepatic steatosis and then mainly through alcoholic steatohepatitis, leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. This review considers chronic alcohol intoxication as the main factor in the development of liver disease. Modern data on the prevalence of forms of alcoholic liver damage in Russia and in the world are presented. The role of the consumed dose of ethanol, the nature of the alcoholic beverage, as well as the pattern of alcohol consumption in the formation of liver damage is assessed, predisposing factors are presented. The leading risk factors for alcoholic liver damage are: female gender, hereditary predisposition (ethnicity), trophological status (underweight or obesity), taking certain hepatotoxic drugs, the amount and duration of alcohol consumption and the type of alcohol consumed, smoking. The presence of concomitant viral hepatitis, environmental toxico-ecological influence and prenatal intoxication also predispose to alcoholic liver damage. The article provides a detailed assessment of the role of the presented risk factors in the development of alcoholic liver damage. However, it is not possible to identify the dominant risk factor for alcoholic liver damage, since the development of liver pathology directly depends not only on the amount of alcohol consumed, but also on the individual combination of predisposing factors. Understanding the etiology of the disease and the contribution of modifiable risk factors to its development will allow the development of effective strategies aimed at reducing the incidence and mortality from liver diseases.