A distinction is made between two disease situations: acute alcoholic fatty liver hepatitis (ASH, alcoholic steatohepatitis) and chronic alcohol damage with the development of liver fibrosis (scarring) or cirrhosis.
Long-term alcohol damage to the liver depends on the amount of alcohol consumed. As a rule of thumb, the limit for women is around 10-20 grams of alcohol per day (approx. 0.5 liters of beer or 0.25 liters of wine) and for men 20-40 grams of alcohol per day (approx. 1 liter of beer or 0.5 liters of wine).
The main aim of treatment is to stop harmful alcohol consumption, as there are no other drug therapy options. This can lead to a significant improvement in liver function. Glucocorticoids (cortisone) are currently only used to treat selected severely ill patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis.