[Liver damage due to alcohol and acute alcoholic hepatitis]

In 15 patients suffering from slight forms of alcohol-induced liver damage, the clinical picture was so varied that correct diagnosis was only possible on the basis of all anamnestic, clinical, biochemical and histological data. From the histopathological viewpoint, the forms presented as simple hepatic steatosis or acute inflammatory lesion (alcoholic hepatitis). Clinical and histological signs are reversible if the patient stops drinking, whereas if he continues to consume alcohol the prognosis is much more serious. This is why it is important to make correct diagnosis even in slight forms of acute alcoholic hepatopathy.