Guidelines Developed for Management of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2024 -- In a clinical guideline issued by the American College of Gastroenterology and published in the January issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, recommendations are presented for the management of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).
Noting that increasing alcohol use during the past decade has resulted in rapid growth of the ALD-related health care burden, Loretta L. Jophlin, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Louisville Health in Kentucky, and colleagues developed clinical guidelines for ALD.
The authors note that alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is a unique phenotype of advanced disease, presenting with rapid onset or worsening of jaundice and acute-on-chronic liver failure, which conveys a one-month mortality risk of 20 to 50 percent in severe forms. The most accurate score for stratifying AH severity is the Model for End-Stage Disease Score. For patients with severe AH, the only available therapeutic with proven efficacy is corticosteroids, providing survival benefit at one month in 50 to 60 percent of patients. For ALD patients with concurrent alcohol use disorder (AUD), abstinence of alcohol use is challenging to achieve. Patients with ALD are rarely treated for AUD; strategies to overcome barriers to treatment are needed, and a multidisciplinary integrated care model with hepatology, addiction medicine providers, and social workers should be promoted. In selected patients with AH who are unresponsive to medical therapy and have a low risk for relapse to posttransplant alcohol use, liver transplantation should be considered.
"Policy aimed at alcohol use reduction, multidisciplinary care of the dual diagnoses of AUD and ALD, and refinement of liver transplantation algorithms for patients with severe AH are areas where research should be focused," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted January 2024
Read this next
Maltreatment as a Child Ups Odds of Substance Use Admissions by Age 40 Years
WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 -- People with a history of child maltreatment (CM) appear to have significantly higher odds of inpatient admissions for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and...
Seven in 10 Experiencing Homelessness Have a Mental Health Disorder
WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 -- The majority of people experiencing homelessness have mental health disorders, according to a review published online April 17 in JAMA...
Midlife Deaths of Despair Increased From 1999 to 2022
THURSDAY, April 11, 2024 -- Midlife deaths from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholic liver disease, collectively known as deaths of despair, increased from 1999 through 2022...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.