Small red vascular dilatation on the skin of the thorax from which capillaries radiate, caused by cirrhosis of the liver
Alcoholic liver disease arises from the excessive ingestion of alcohol. Even though millions of individuals drink alcohol on a regular basis, only a few heavy drinkers develop liver damage. How alcohol damages the liver is not completely understood. It is known that alcohol produces toxic chemicals like acetaldehyde which can damage liver cells, but why this occurs in only a few individuals is still in debate. When alcohol damages the liver, the function of the organ is not immediately compromised as the liver has a tremendous capacity to regenerate and even when 75% of the liver is damaged, it continues to function as normal. When alcohol is consumed for a long time, it eventually results in liver scarring or what is known as cirrhosis or end-stage alcoholic liver disease. A spider angioma (also known as a nevus araneus, spider nevus, vascular spider, and "Spider telangiectasia" is a type of telangiectasis found slightly beneath the skin surface, often containing a central red spot and reddish extensions which radiate outwards like a spider's web. They are common and may be benign, presenting in around 10-15% of healthy adults and young children. However, greater than five spider naevi may be a sign of liver disease.
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Keywords: -, acetaldehyde, alcohol, alcoholic, angioma, arachnoides, araneosus, araneus, damage, disease, extensions, hepatic, liver, naevi, neavus, nevi, nevus, radiate, red, reddish, scarring, skin, spider, spot, telangiectasis, telanglectasia, vascula, web
