One of the diagnostic criteria that points toward an alcohol use disorder is continuing to drink, even in the face of consequences. These consequences can include relationship problems, difficulty fulfilling duties at work or home, or a worsening of health problems. If a person continues to drink despite health-related problems, bruises after drinking may be a consequence that arises from alcohol misuse. Nerves don’t have a resilient ability to regenerate if they are severely damaged.

Liver disease

People with a lengthy history of alcohol misuse might experience loss of balance, pain, tingling, weakness, or numbness after drinking alcohol. And since the liver controls blood clotting, alcohol-related liver disease can cause increased bruising, as well. Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain. A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death.

Healthy liver vs. liver cirrhosis

Most people with this condition have had at least seven drinks a day for 20 years or more. This can mean 7 glasses of wine, 7 beers, or 7 shots of spirits. Bruising will normally resolve spontaneously within 10 to 14 days and is best managed conservatively.

Alcoholic fatty liver disease

A biopsy may also be required to identify the severity, can alcohol cause bruising extent and cause of liver damage. Sometimes alcohol causes such severe damage to the body that a liver transplant may be necessary. Alcoholic neuropathy is a condition in which the nerves become damaged as a result of years of heavy alcohol consumption. Symptoms include burning pain in the body, hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to pain), and allodynia (a condition in which normal stimulus, like a soft touch, produces pain).

Causes of Alcoholic Neuropathy

Doctors may also recommend weight loss and quitting smoking as excess weight and smoking have both demonstrated a role in worsening alcoholic liver disease. This can help to reverse some early stages of liver disease. For example, stopping drinking once diagnosed with fatty liver disease may be able to reverse the condition within 2–6 weeks. Several factors increase the risk of alcoholic liver disease. The early signs of alcoholic liver disease are vague and affect a range of systems in the body. If you experience increased bruising, don’t stop taking your medications.

Treatment for Alcoholic Neuropathy

Another prominent effect of alcoholic neuropathy involves painful and uncomfortable sensations. Alcoholic neuropathy can result in hypersensitivity to touch and even resting pain. Light touch can feel exaggerated and painful, particularly in the fingers and toes.

People with von Willebrand disease (about 1%-2% of the population have this) make little or no von Willebrand protein, which is important for blood clotting. Females who consume high amounts of alcohol and also carry excess body weight have a greater chance of developing chronic liver disease. Alcoholic hepatitis is a severe syndrome of alcoholic liver disease. Hepatitis is a general term for swelling and inflammation of the liver from any cause. There are normally no symptoms, and alcoholic fatty liver disease is often reversible if the individual abstains from alcohol from this point onward. While bumping into something while drinking may seem relatively harmless, the truth is that excessive drinking can set you up for serious injuries from falling or other accidents.

Mayo Clinic Press

Treatment will depend on the type, location, and severity of your symptoms. Keep reading to learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for alcohol-related neuropathy. While treating ALD it is important not only to abstain from alcohol but also become conscious of other factors that could affect the liver. Though rare, liver cancer can develop from the damage that occurs with cirrhosis. The prognosis for liver failure is poor and requires immediate treatment, often in the intensive care unit.

• Blood-thinning medications may cause a person to bleed and bruise more.
• Finally, a person with an alcohol use disorder will likely give up other activities, because their focus is on drinking.
• And since the liver controls blood clotting, alcohol-related liver disease can cause increased bruising, as well.
• Reassurance is often all that is required or simple measures included in this document.
• The yellowing of the skin might be harder to see on Black and brown people.
• However, in advanced alcoholic liver disease, liver regeneration is impaired, resulting in permanent damage to the liver.
• Coordination problems from alcohol consumption make injuries more likely, and since alcohol dilates the blood vessels, you’re more likely to bruise if you do fall or bump into something.

What Stages Aren’t Reversible?

Our muscles need to receive a message from nearby nerves in order to function. When this message is interrupted due to damaged nerves, the muscles cannot function as they normally would. This most often manifests with weakness of the hands and feet.

Causes of alcoholic neuropathy

The early stages of alcohol-related liver disease typically have no symptoms. When they’re present, the early symptoms can include pain in the area of your liver, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss. If someone with this condition has alcohol use disorder, a healthcare provider will need to set up a treatment plan. This plan will help manage the condition as well as the withdrawal symptoms that may occur with abstinence.