Reports of possible liver damage from alcohol abuse by American actress Lindsay Lohan may help debunk the myth that liver damage and cirrhosis of the liver won’t happen to someone in their 20’s.
News reports that actress-singer Lindsay Lohan may have liver damage will probably come as a surprise to many people in their teens and 20’s. Many young people think liver damage only happens to middle-aged people who have abused alcohol for years or even decades.
“Whether the reports about Ms. Lohan are true or not, people in their teens and 20’s should be made aware that liver damage, even cirrhosis, can happen to them,” according to Dr.Ratnakar Kini of the Department of Digestive Health and Diseases, Chennai, India.
According to the reports, Lohan has liver damage caused by too much drinking. The National Enquirer claims that the problems were discovered during Lohans recent stint in hospital to have her appendix removed. “Lindsays liver panel shows her drinking is taking a terrible toll on her health. Her liver enzymes are extremely elevated, and doctors warned her if she doesn’t quit boozing she could die.”
Lohan, who is 20 years old and not yet of legal drinking age, is famous for her excessive partying. According to ABC News, her representative, Lesley Sloan-Zelnik, has confirmed that Lohan has checked into a rehabilitation program following months of speculation about her overuse of alcohol.
Dr. Kini adds, “It doesn’t take 20 or 30 years of alcohol abuse to cause liver damage or cirrhosis of the liver. If you drink too much and too often, it might only take a few years before long term liver damage begins to appear. So it can certainly happen to people in their 20’s. It can even happen to people in their teens if they start drinking young enough.”
Dr. Kini also notes that the livers of young woman are more at risk than livers of young men.
“Alcoholic liver disease develops in women after a shorter duration of drinking than men and with a lower daily alcohol intake. 40-80 g of alcohol daily in men and 20-40 g of alcohol daily in women for 10-12 years can cause significant damage to the liver. But even a shorter duration of alcohol intake can cause at least some damage to the liver. And even teenagers are susceptable to liver damage if they do not abstain from taking alcohol.”
Dr. Kini recently authored a series of articles related to the human liver and liver problems. The articles have been published on the Internet at www.myliver.biz. Topics covered by the site include liver damage, cirrhosis of the liver, liver cysts, fatty liver disease, liver detoxification, liver cleansing and liver cancer.
Dr.Kini is a Gastroenterology resident at the Department of Digestive Health and Diseases, Chennai, India (formerly known as “Madras”). He is a Graduate in Pediatrics from The Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children in Chennai.
