ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE

Disorders that occur in alcohol abusers, often in sequence, include

• Fatty liver (in > 90%)

• Alcoholic hepatitis (in 10 to 35%)

• Cirrhosis (in 10 to 20%)

Hepatocellular carcinoma may also develop, especially in association with iron accumulation.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Definition

Arteriosclerosis literally means “hardening of the arteries”; it is a generic term reflecting arterial wall thickening and loss of elasticity; from the Greek αρτηρία, meaning arteary, and σκληρωτικός, meaning sclerotic (Hardened). Three distinct types are recognized, each with different clinical and pathologic consequences:
Arteriolosclerosis
Thickening of the wall in small arteries and arterioles which carry important nutrients and blood to the body’s organs, causes a reduction in lumen size. Often related to systemic hypertension and diabetes mellitus
Atherosclerosis
is the narrowing of arteries from a build up of plaque, made up of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin, inside the arteries. This affects large and medium-sized arteries; however, its positioning varies person to person
Monckeberg's arteriosclerosis or medial calcific sclerosis
Seen mostly in the elderly, Characterized by calcification of the tunica media (middle layer of the walls of arteries) but without thickening of the intima or narrowing of the vessel lumen

VALVULAR HEART DISEASE

Aortic Stenosis

Definition

• Normal aortic valve area = 3-4 cm²

• Mild AS 1.5-3 cm² / Moderate AS 1.0-1.5 cm² / Severe AS <1.0 cm² / Critical AS < 0.5 cm²