A 55-year-old man known to have drunk a half liter of gin daily for the past 15 years died due to ruptured esophageal varices and massive bleeding. At autopsy, the liver was nodular and

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In alcoholic cirrhosis, the liver is usually enlarged and yellow due to fatty metamorphosis of hepatocytes. The term cirrhosis was coined by the 19th century French physician Laënnec, who studied the postmortem findings in alcoholics. Because all of the cirrhotic livers were yellow, he used the Greek word for yellow to name the disease. If alcoholics who have cirrhosis are asked to stop drinking, as it is usually done before liver transplantation, their livers lose fat and become brown and much smaller.

A 55-Year-Old Man Known to Have Drunk a Half Liter