Best Doctors in India for Alcoholic Hepatitis Treatment

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. Asis Kumar Bhattacharyya holds an experience of 25+ years in Neurosurgery and finds interest in skull base surgery, vascular neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, and peripheral nerve surgery.
  • Dr. Bhattacharyya’s primary area of focus lies in complex brain and spine surgeries and has received his training in the process from premier institutes in India, USA, and Canada. He is also experienced in minimally invasive and micro neurosurgery.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. B N Prasad is a well-known Orthopedic Surgeon with over 3 decades of experience.
  • Dr. B N Prasad is among the few surgeons in the country to specialize in both adult and pediatric orthopedics and has taken up numerous cases and treated patients with excellent outcomes.
  • He provides diagnostic as well as surgical treatment for various types of orthopedic disorders such as arthritis and osteoporosis.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. B K Singh is one of the best Orthopedic Surgeons in India with experience encompassing over 4 decades.
  • He holds the credit for over 5000 Arthroplasty procedures and is one of the few surgeons in India with expertise in Robotic Knee and Hip Replacement Surgeries.
  • Dr. B K Singh received his training in Joint Replacement Surgery and Robotic Knee and Hip replacement procedures from India, UK, and Japan.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. Chandana Lakkireddi is renowned infertility and IVF specialist in Hyderabad with expertise in all kinds of assisted reproductive techniques and the management of infertility issues in both males and females.
  • She has an extensive experience of 15+ years and finds interest in reproductive endocrinology, management of PCOS, implantation failure, recurrent failed cycles of IVF, miscarriage, endometriosis, and adenomyosis.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. Deepu Banerji is a leading name in the field of Neurosurgery in India and possesses extensive skills in minimally invasive and micro neurosurgery.
  • He has been practicing neurosurgery for over 28 years and is counted among the best microscopic neurosurgeons in the country.
  • Apart from minimally invasive surgeries, his expertise lies in skull base surgery, brain tumors surgery, vascular surgery, and spine surgeries, and has handled numerous cases of brain and spine diseases and disorders.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. Durgatosh Pandey is a renowned Surgical Oncologist.
  • He has over 20 years of experience in surgical oncology in top cancer institutes in India.
  • He was the Director of Surgical Oncology at Artemis Hospital, Gurugram.
  • Currently, he is the Head of Oncology Sciences & Consultant – Surgical Oncology at Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, New Delhi.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. G Rama Subramanyam is a well-known cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon who specializes in open-heart surgery and has performed more than 5000 such procedures since 1997.
  • He is also an expert in Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and heart valve surgeries that includes over 200 Ischemic mitral valve repair surgeries and 100 myxomatous and Rheumatic mitral valve repair surgeries.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. Girish Kumar is a Surgical Oncologist whose expertise lies in the surgical treatment of both adult and pediatric cancer and provides services for head and neck, breast, GI, bone and soft tissue, urological, colorectal, and gynecological cancers.
  • Along with the surgical treatment of various types of cancers, Dr. Girish Kumar also provides pre and post-operative cancer care.
  • He has also trained a number of medical students in surgical oncology and continues to mentor postgraduate students.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. J V S Vidya Sagar is a renowned Orthopedic Surgeon and one of the most experienced surgeons for Arthroscopy in India.
  • Dr. Vidya Sagar has been performing Arthroscopic and Joint Replacement surgeries for over 30 years during which he has performed 31,500 Arthroscopies, 13,400 joint replacement surgeries, 27, 600 knee joint surgeries, and 20,800 surgeries for ligament reconstruction, and over 38,600 surgeries for cerebral palsy and polio.

Profile Highlights:

  • Dr. Madhusudan H V is an expert Neurosurgeon in South India with 22+ years of experience in neuro and spine surgery.
  • With a specialization in minimally invasive neurosurgeries, Dr. Madhusudan holds the credit for more than 7000 neurosurgeries. He also finds interest in endoscopic interventions and frameless navigations.

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.

How we help

Our end-to-end patient assistance service ensures that you a get a smooth and hassle-free treatment experience in India 

Treatment Decision

Contact us, share your reports and let us know your preferences. Accordingly, one of our Patient Advisor will help you in taking opinions & estimates and choosing the best hospital as per your preferenes.

Treatment Assistance

Once you finalize hospital, our team will provide you Visa Invitation Letter. You will be received at the airport by your team and taken to the hospital. Your Support Associate will be therefor full formalities in hospital.

Support Services

With Ginger Healthcare, you never have to worry about travel to a foreign country. Our carefully designed Patient Support Services ensures that you have a smooth experience in India right from arrival till departure.