DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband, 39, is currently in the hospital with alcoholic hepatitis. I didn’t know that alcohol caused hepatitis. I thought viruses did. I need information on this condition and my husband’s future. I have to make plans for our children if he’s not going to make it or if he’s going to be an invalid. – J.J.

ANSWER: Large quantities of alcohol can lead to liver inflammation – hepatitis – just as viruses and many other things can. As in viral hepatitis, liver cells die in alcoholic hepatitis. People with alcoholic hepatitis can be very sick, have a fever, often complain of great pain in the upper right side of the abdomen and have yellow skin (jaundice). It’s a serious condition, and up to 20 percent of patients die from it.

If your husband pulls through – and the odds are on his side – his chances for a healthy life depend on his resolve to abstain from alcohol – completely.

If he continues to drink, he is almost assured of developing liver cirrhosis. In cirrhosis, liver cells are replaced by scar tissue, and the liver is unable to carry on the numerous important functions necessary for life. The muscles of people with cirrhosis waste away. Their abdomens can become swollen with retained fluid, and their ankles can also swell. The palms of their hands frequently become fiery red. Men’s breasts can enlarge.

A person with cirrhosis who continues to drink has less than a 40 percent probability of living another five years. If the person stops drinking alcohol, the chances for living five or more years rise to 70 percent.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am on a number of medicines, and I wonder if grapefruit interferes with any of them. I learned about the drug-grapefruit interaction from a newspaper article. Would you provide a list?

If you have the grapefruit in the morning, does it have an effect on medicines taken in the evening? – S.T.

ANSWER: I started making a list for you, but halfway through I stopped. This list had gotten too long, and there is always the possibility that more medicines will be added to it by the time my answer gets into newspapers.

I can provide you with a list of drug categories where grapefruit can cause problems, and I’ll give you one brand name in each category.

The statin drugs, popular cholesterol-lowering drugs (Zocor being one), are on the list. So are calcium-channel blockers (Plendil), used for blood pressure control; tranquilizers (Valium); antihistamines (Claritin); antidepressants; and the immune system drugs (Sandimmune). Before each drug class put the word “some,” for not all drugs in those classes are affected by grapefruit.

Grapefruit and its juice can magnify the concentration of drug in the blood by inhibiting the enzyme that inactivates the drug. The higher-than-normal drug level can be dangerous for patients. In a few instances, the fruit interferes with drug absorption and lowers the blood level.

The effect lasts for 24 hours, so having grapefruit in the morning and taking medicine in the evening is still a risk.

This is a well-known interaction, and I would be surprised if the prescribing doctor or dispensing pharmacist did not inform patients of any potential trouble.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I was at a dinner party where the topic of conversation was drug allergies. I remarked that I was allergic to sulfa drugs. One of the guests immediately said I should not be drinking wine, since it has sulfa in it. I have never heard of this, and I have been drinking wine for all my adult life. Am I putting myself in danger? – C.D.

ANSWER: Your informant has sulfa confused with sulfites.

Sulfas are medicines that kill bacteria.

Sulfites are preservatives that are added to many foods. Labels tell you when that’s the case. Small amounts of sulfites are naturally occurring in wines, and they are usually added as well. Some people are quite allergic to sulfites and can experience a reaction if they ingest them. The reaction can be a skin rash, or it can be a serious asthma attack.

Sulfas are not related to sulfites. There is no cross-sensitivity between the two.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.