Best Doctors in India for Alcoholic Hepatitis Treatment
- IVF Specialist & Gynaecologist, Bengaluru, India
- Over 15 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Pallavi Prasad is a well-known Gynecologist in Bengaluru specializing in infertility and IVF.
- Dr. Prasad is a specialist in all kinds of Artificial Reproductive Techniques (ART) including IVF, ICSI, IUI, and IMSI. She also provides services for vitrification and cryopreservation.
- Dr. Pallavi Prasad has also written articles and papers on her field of expertise and has published several columns on infertility and ART in renowned journals and newspapers.
- IVF Specialist & Gynaecologist, Mumbai, India
- Over 24 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Sulbha Arora is a well-known Gynecologist and Obstetrician and an Infertility Specialist in Mumbai currently working with Nova IVI Fertility.
- She has 24+ years of experience in IVF and Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) and has helped a large number of women enjoy the happiness of motherhood.
- Her primary area of focus includes fertility medicine, fertility preservation, third-party reproduction, and ultrasound.
- Senior Cardiothoracic and Heart Lung Transplant Surgeon, New Delhi, India
- Over 23 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Rahul Chandola is a renowned cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon in India specializing in Adult CTVS along with heart and lung transplant surgeries.
- He is an expert heart and lung transplant surgeon and has performed over 100 heart transplant surgeries with successful results in both adult and pediatric patients.
- Currently, he works as a Senior Cardiothoracic and Heart Lung Transplant Surgeon in PSRI Hospital, New Delhi.
- IVF Specialist & Gynaecologist, Bengaluru, India
- Over 25 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Aviva Pinto Rodrigues is a Consultant in Gynecology and Infertility and has an extensive experience of over 2 decades in Reproductive Medicine and holds a Diploma in the field from the University of Kiel in Germany.
- Her expertise lies in all forms of ART including IVF, IUI, ICSI, IMSI, and also finds interest in the treatment of genital tuberculosis and reproductive endocrinology.
- Surgical Oncologist, Mumbai, India
- Over 35 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- With over 35 years of experience, Dr. Rajesh Mistry is one of the best surgeons for Thoracic and Head & Neck Surgeries.
- He is an expert in performing all types of head and neck cancer surgeries including the thoracic region and has performed more than 700 thoracic onco-surgeries, 350 minimally invasive surgeries, 350 open surgeries, 200 Lobectonomies, 250 Esophagectomies, and more than 40 Robotic surgeries for Head and Neck related cancers.
- Ophthalmologist, Gurugram, India
- Over 15 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Nidhi Verma is known as one of the best ophthalmologists in Gurugram.
- Her last overseas assignment was as a Consultant at Victoria Hospital Seychelles. Her main fields of interest are Medical Retina, Glaucoma, and Uvea.
- She has also been involved in teaching undergraduate as well as postgraduate students. At Medanta Dr. Nidhi Verma is mainly involved in Preventive Health check-ups and comprehensive Ophthalmology.
- Neurosurgeon, New Delhi, India
- Over 60 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Ravi Bhatia is a veteran neurosurgeon and spine surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital New Delhi.
- He has about six decades of experience in the management and surgeries of neurological disorders. Before retiring, Dr. Bhatia worked at another prestigious Indian hospital, AIIMS, New Delhi.
- He is particularly interested in Neuro-Oncology, Brain and Spine Tumors, Cerebrovascular Surgery, and Craino vertebral abnormalities.
- To date, Dr. Bhatia has treated neuro patients with a great success rate.
- He authored chapters in many textbooks and has around 95 papers for medical journals to his credit.
- Dentist and Dental Surgeon, New Delhi, India
- Over 21 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Shivani Agarwal has over 21 years of experience in Endodontics.
- She has worked in some of the premier hospitals in Delhi including LNJP hospital and AIIMS. Presently, she is a full-time consultant at Apollo Hospitals in Delhi.
- Dr. Shivani Agarwal is trained in Aesthetic Dentistry from Buffalo University in USA.
- Bariatric & Laparoscopic Surgeon, New Delhi, India
- Over 26 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Vandana Soni has been practicing Laparoscopic surgery since the year 1996.
- She has worked hard with singular determination and successfully created her own niche in the field of surgery.
- She has also been awarded the Sri Laxmi Ramachandran Trophy for her exemplary devotion to duty.
- Urologist, New Delhi, India
- Over 35 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Anant Kumar is one of the finest urology and kidney transplant doctors in India.
- Dr. Kumar specializes in Kidney Transplantation, Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Urology, Renovascular Hypertension, Laparoscopic Urology, Urological Oncology, Laser Urological Surgery, and Reconstructive Urology.
- He has performed over 3500 kidney transplants and over 2000 lap donor nephrectomy procedures over the span of 3 decades.
Best Hospitals in India for Alcoholic Hepatitis Treatment
ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS
Alcoholic hepatitis is a liver infection, which is mainly caused by frequent, heavy use of alcohol. Fat can build up in the liver cells, which might lead to inflammation as well as scarring of the liver.
Alcoholic hepatitis might be mild or severe. A patient might even need a liver transplant if proper treatment is not provided, or if they don’t stop consumption of alcohol.
It is also notable that all heavy drinkers don’t develop this condition, and sometimes this condition even develops in people who drink moderately. However, if you are diagnosed with this condition, it is important for you to quit drinking alcohol. People who continue drinking alcohol might face a huge risk of serious liver damage as well as death.
Symptoms
Depending on the amount of damage to the liver, the symptoms can vary. If you are having a mild form of the disease, you might not even experience any symptoms at all. However, as the damage continues to grow, you might experience the following:
- Changes in appetite
- Dry mouth
- Weight loss
- Pain or swelling in the abdomen
- Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin or eyes
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Easy bleeding or bruising
- Changes in your mental state, including confusion
- Fatigue
The symptoms of this condition are similar to those caused by a few other health conditions. Therefore, if you develop any of these symptoms, it is best to get a proper diagnosis as well as begin treatment.
Causes & risk factors
Alcoholic hepatitis generally develops when the alcohol you drink causes damage to your liver. However, it is not clear why alcohol does this damages only to some heavy drinkers.
Few factors that are known to play a role in this condition include:
- The body’s process that breaks down alcohol produces some toxic chemicals
- These chemicals can trigger inflammation that can destroy the liver cells
- Thus, over time, scars replace healthy liver tissue, thus interfering with the function of the liver
- This irreversible scarring, which is also termed cirrhosis, is the final stage of alcoholic liver disease
If you have hepatitis C and continue to drink, even moderately, you are more likely to develop cirrhosis.
Some heavy drinkers are also malnourished because they don’t eat a proper balanced diet. Alcohol and its byproducts also prevent the body from absorbing nutrition properly. Lack of nutrition can contribute to liver cell damage.
Some other risk factors that can lead to this condition include:
- Your sex- Women are usually at a higher risk of developing alcoholic hepatitis since the way alcohol is processed in women is different.
- Binge drinking- Having over five drinks within two hours for men and four or more for women can increase the risk of alcoholic hepatitis.
- Obesity- Heavy drinkers who are overweight are also more likely to develop alcoholic hepatitis and to progress from that condition to cirrhosis.
- Race and ethnicity- Hispanic and Negroid people might be at higher risk of alcoholic hepatitis.
- Genetic factors- According to studies, there may be a genetic component in alcohol-induced liver disease. However, it is difficult to separate genetic and environmental factors.
Diagnosis
If you are showing symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis, your doctor will first inquire about your medical history and alcohol consumption. Next, he/she will perform a physical exam to see if you have an enlarged liver or spleen. They might also need a few more tests to confirm your diagnosis, such as:
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Liver function test
- Ultrasound of the liver
- Abdominal CT scan
- Blood clotting tests
In some cases, a liver biopsy might also be needed to confirm the diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis. A liver biopsy requires your doctor to remove a tissue sample from your liver, which is then tested in the lab. This method helps to show the severity and type of liver disease.
Treatment
Stopping alcohol consumption is the most important treatment for alcoholic hepatitis. There is no cure for this condition, but treatment can help in reducing or eliminating symptoms, or stopping its progression.
It is also important to note that scarring of the liver is permanent, but treatment can aim to restore as much function as possible.
Dietary changes
Your doctor might also recommend dietary changes, vitamin supplements, or a focused diet plan to correct the imbalance of nutrients in the body.
Medication
Doctors might also prescribe medicines to prevent inflammation of the liver.
Liver transplant
In severe cases, the only chance for survival may be a liver transplant. Unfortunately, in such cases, the process of finding a donor can be long and complicated.
The best hope of recovery is to be aware of the signs and symptoms as well as to reduce, manage, or if possible, completely stop consumption of alcohol.
Complications
Alcoholic hepatitis might lead to severe other complications such as:
- Enlarged veins (varices)- In this condition, blood that is unable to flow freely through the portal vein, can back up into other blood vessels in your esophagus or stomach.
- Hepatic encephalopathy- This condition can be caused by the buildup of toxins if your damaged liver is unable to remove all the toxins from your body. It involves confusion, drowsiness, and slurred speech.
- Ascites- Ascites is a condition in which the fluid that accumulates in the abdomen may get infected and thus, require treatment with antibiotics. Although this condition is not life-threatening, it can be a sign of advanced alcoholic hepatitis, or cirrhosis.
- Kidney failure- A damaged liver affects blood flow to the kidneys, thus resulting in kidney failure.
- Cirrhosis- The scarring of the liver might lead to liver failure.
Prevention
Alcoholic hepatitis might be prevented if you take the following steps:
- Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all- For healthy adults, moderate drinking means no more than one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than 65, and not over two drinks a day for men aged 65 and younger. However, if you prevent all alcohol, it is a certain way to prevent this condition.
- Check before mixing medications and alcohol- Ask your doctor if it’s safe to drink alcohol while you are taking medications. Consider reading the warning labels on over-the-counter medications as well. Don’t drink alcohol when you are taking medications that warn of complications when combined with alcohol.
- Protect yourself from hepatitis C- Hepatitis C is an infectious liver disease that is caused by a virus. If it is left untreated, it may lead to cirrhosis. If you are having hepatitis C and you consume alcohol, you’re generally more likely to develop cirrhosis than if you don’t drink.