The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the lifestyle for a young person who likes a busy social life. However, it has not able to change the allure of alcohol, which has been reported to intensify. Although bars and parties may no longer be an option, there are options available like virtual happy hours, socially distanced gatherings, couple-time cocktails, or even drinking alone, all of which can cause serious consequences including liver disease, especially in younger people.

The clinical director of the Yale Medicine Fatty Liver Disease Program, revealed that young patients usually present with cirrhosis, a disease characterised by late-stage liver scarring, resulting from the excessive use of alcohol. The possibility of developing liver disease increases in respect to how long a person has been drinking, and is most commonly seen between the ages of 40 and 50.

Moreover, studies show that mortality from alcohol-driven liver disease are highest among millennials (born 1981 to 1996). A trial conducted in 2018 revealed that liver-related deaths increased upto 10% a year among those ages 25 to 35, while deaths from liver cancer doubled in this group. 

Researches have seen that young people arrive in the emergency department (ED) seriously intoxicated and may or may not have a chronic alcohol use disorder. They often seek acute treatment in the ED after an episode of “binge drinking,” or even worse, “extreme binge drinking,” which can be responsible for significant risk of life-threatening alcohol poisoning. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that binge drinking is most common among younger adults aged 18–34 years. 

Several studies have shed light on how the liver disease develops. Drinking too much alcohol is not the only method to develop liver disease; however, alcohol is the second most common cause of liver cirrhosis after hepatitis C in developed countries. Alcohol leads to fat accumulation in the liver, and this eventually can cause the liver to scar, resulting in inflammation, as well as cirrhosis, fatty liver disease, and liver cancer.   

Many newly diagnosed patients are surprised to know that their drinking has been severe enough to cause liver damage. One reason for their surprise is people underestimate how much alcohol is in a so-called single drink. The standard for a single serving of alcohol is 14 grams or 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol, which is about 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.

People also are often inclined to drink under the effect of peers. One person is having a third round and does not appear to be intoxicated, but you may be a person who starts to feel buzzed after just one drink. Women typically develop alcohol-related problems sooner and at lower drinking levels than men, thus, one drink per day is regarded as moderate for women in contrast to two drinks for men.

Researchers suggest that the rise in alcohol-related deaths among millennials overlaps with a rise in the rates of binge drinking from 2002 to 2012. Binge drinking is defined when a woman has four or more drinks or a man has five or more, generally consumed within a couple of hours and bringing the blood alcohol concentration up to and beyond the legal driving limit. While extreme binge drinking is drinking at levels far beyond the binge threshold.

Blacking out is a key sign that someone has been extreme binge drinking. This type of drinking can give rise to alcoholic hepatitis, which is severe liver inflammation initially, without any scarring at all. Besides, excess weight increases the liver damage caused by drinking too much.

However, liver has a unique ability to heal itself and replace damaged tissue with new cells. It can be treated, if your liver disease is diagnosed early. Additionally, lifestyle changes and a CT scan every six months to monitor the disease is highly crucial. Nevertheless, if liver disease is diagnosed in later stages, cirrhosis can develop into an irreversible condition, increasing the risk for liver cancer. The only management in advanced cases is liver transplant. Even if some scarring has accumulated, decreasing alcohol intake can be beneficial.  

The appropriate treatment approach should be individualized, based on each patient’s needs and lifestyle. These include both counseling and/or the use of one of three FDA-approved medications designed to prevent ongoing alcohol use. One of strategies is Naltrexone that reduces the craving for alcohol, which can help  in reducing the amount of alcohol or stop drinking altogether.

Source: Liver Disease and Alcohol: Is Binge Drinking To Blame? Available at: https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/alcohol-liver