for Veterans and the Public

Alcohol and Hepatitis C

Fibrosis is the medical term for scar tissue in the liver. Fibrosis is caused by infection, inflammation, or injury. It prevents the liver from working well.

Alcohol damages the liver, causing more fibrosis. In a person with hepatitis C, the damage caused by alcohol is even greater. Fibrosis eventually can lead to severe scarring (cirrhosis), especially when a person drinks heavily.