Advances in research of alcoholic liver disease

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a chronic liver disease, and it includes hepatic steatosis, alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver failure. Many factors are thought to contribute to the development of ALD, particularly oxidative stress, generation of reactive oxygen species during alcohol metabolism, adipokines from visceral adipose tissue, and endotoxin derived from the gut. Currently, although the pathogenesis of ALD has been widely investigated, the precise mechanisms remain to be elucidated. With the improvement of human living standard and the change of lifestyle in China, the population of alcoholics has increasingly risen, and alcohol consumption ranks second among the etiologies of liver disease. Therefore, ALD treatment has attracted widespread attention. This paper will review the latest research on the risk factors and treatment of ALD.