Definition

Alcohol-Related Liver Disease (ArLD) is a clinical and histological spectrum of diseases which includes fatty liver (FL) at one extreme and alcohol-related cirrhosis at the other. [3,4]

Fatty liver is generally benign and asymptomatic and occurs in patients who abuse alcohol for a period of days to weeks. It is entirely reversible with abstinence from alcohol. However, with susceptibility and continued alcohol abuse, more advanced disease can develop with alcohol-related hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to, or exist with alcohol-related cirrhosis, in which the liver can become fibrosed.

Learning Bite

ArLD can be thought of as a spectrum from reversible fatty liver, to alcohol-related hepatitis, to alcohol-related cirrhosis.