Liver transplantation for alcoholic hepatitis: update

Alcoholic liver disease continues to be a major public health concern in the United States and around the world. Alcoholic liver disease remains the third most common indication for liver transplantation in the United States. Mortality has been reported in up to 30-50% of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. Liver transplantation can be lifesaving for patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease was traditionally only considered in patients who have achieved 6 months of abstinence. The majority of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis who fail medical therapy will not live long enough to meet this requirement. The purpose of this review is to provide an update from the most recent peer reviewed articles regarding early liver transplantation of alcoholic hepatitis.

This review shows that liver transplantation offers the best survival benefit to patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Selection criteria is a key component for a successful transplant. No change in 1-year graft survival between patients who have 6 months sobriety vs. those transplanted prior to 6 months abstinence. Liver transplantation is limited by very narrow selection criteria and limited long-term data.

Liver transplantation offers the best survival benefit to patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Selection criteria of patients has evolved and have become more permissive and the period of sobriety has become less important in the evaluation of process. However, long-term outcomes continue to lack in the literature. On the basis of previous studies, patients with longer pretransplant abstinence, disease process insight, older age at the time of transplant, the presence of social support that lives with the patient in the same dwelling place were noted to have lower rates of return to alcohol use after liver transplantation.