Subclinical versus advanced forms of alcohol-related liver disease: Need for early detection

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) consists of a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and pathological features, ranging from asymptomatic patients to decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients with heavy alcohol intake and advanced fibrosis often develop a subacute form of liver failure called alcohol-induced hepatitis (AH). Globally, most patients with ALD are identified at late stages of the disease, limiting therapeutic interventions. Thus, there is a need for early detection of ALD patients, which is lacking in most countries. The identification of alcohol misuse is hampered by the existence of alcohol underreporting by many patients. There are useful biomarkers that can detect recent alcohol use. Moreover, there are several non-invasive techniques to assess the presence of advanced fibrosis among patients with alcohol misuse, which could identify patients at high risk of liver related events or early death. In this review, we discuss differences between early stages of ALD and AH as the cornerstone of advanced forms. A global overview of epidemiological, anthropometric, clinical, analytical, histological, and molecular differences is summarized in this article. We propose that campaigns aimed at identifying patients with subclinical forms can prevent the development of life-threatening forms.

Erratum: Pathophysiology and Management of Alcoholic Liver Disease: Update 2016

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Pathophysiology and Management of Alcoholic Liver Disease: Update 2016

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and acute and chronic liver failure and as such causes significant morbidity and mortality. While alcohol consumption is slightly decreasing in several European countries, it is rising in others and remains high in many countries around the world. The pathophysiology of ALD is still incompletely understood but relates largely to the direct toxic effects of alcohol and its main intermediate, acetaldehyde. Recently, novel putative mechanisms have been identified in systematic scans covering the entire human genome and raise new hypotheses on previously unknown pathways. The latter also identify host genetic risk factors for significant liver injury, which may help design prognostic risk scores. The diagnosis of ALD is relatively easy with a panel of well-evaluated tests and only rarely requires a liver biopsy. Treatment of ALD is difficult and grounded in abstinence as the pivotal therapeutic goal; once cirrhosis is established, treatment largely resembles that of other etiologies of advanced liver damage. Liver transplantation is a sound option for carefully selected patients with cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis because relapse rates are low and prognosis is comparable to other etiologies. Still, many countries are restrictive in allocating donor livers for ALD patients. Overall, few therapeutic options exist for severe ALD. However, there is good evidence of benefit for only corticosteroids in severe alcoholic hepatitis, while most other efforts are of limited efficacy. Considering the immense burden of ALD worldwide, efforts of medical professionals and industry partners to develop targeted therapies in ALF has been disappointingly low.