Alcohol-induced liver damage disrupts the body's metabolism, eventually impairing the function of other organs. Medications that affect these mechanisms may help prevent some of the medical complications of ALD or reduce the severity of the illness. Most of the alcohol a person drinks is eventually broken down by the liver. In addition, a group of metabolic products called free radicals can damage liver cells and promote inflammation, impairing vital functions such as energy production. The Inflammatory Response.
Inflammation is the body's response to local tissue damage or infection.
Inflammation prevents the spread of injury and mobilizes the defense mechanisms of the immune system. One such defense mechanism is the generation of free radicals that can destroy disease-causing microorganisms. Long-term alcohol consumption prolongs the inflammatory process, leading to excessive production of free radicals, which can destroy healthy liver tissue. Alcohol consumption increases the passage of a noxious bacterial product called endotoxin through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. These cells respond to the presence of endotoxin by releasing substances called cytokines that regulate the inflammatory process.