Alcoholic Liver Disease: Clinical and Sonographic Features

Alcoholism is a worldwide public health problem. Ethanol abuse is not uncommon among those with chronic viral hepatitis in the Asia-Pacific region. In patients with chronic hepatitis B and C, the occurrence of alcoholism may increase viral replication and exacerbate liver injury, which results in the progression of chronic viral hepatitis to liver failure, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The clinical features and the role of sonography in the diagnosis of alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis are reviewed. The differential diagnosis between different alcoholic liver diseases and viral hepatitis are discussed.