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Alcohol consumption in developing countries is increasing significantly and progressively it has become a major risk factor for chronic liver disease worldwide. As a matter of fact, it has been considered one of the major etiologies of liver diseases. Alcoholic persons are thought to be prone to various infections, such as hepatitis C, in which the severity of damage is related with ethanol consumption. According to epidemiological data, alcohol related liver deaths is one of the leading causes of mortality in western and latinoamerican countries. Recently, research on alcohol effects has been growing increasingly from several points of view, mainly in terms of health benefits and risks. For a long time, alcohol intake was conceived as representing some kind of “danger” for human health. Indeed, the main clinical recommendation to patients who suffer liver disorders have been lies on complete abstinence from alcohol. However, it has been suggested that modest alcohol consumption, that is to say up to two drinks per day, was associated with less severity of fibrosis and hepatocellular injury in steatohepatitis. Whether patients with liver disease should abstain from alcohol or rather be allowed modest alcohol consumption remains still unknown.

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2012-11-15   |   612 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 11 Núm.6. Noviembre-Diciembre 2012 Pags. 944-948 Ann Hepatol 2012; 11(6)