Liver Disease in Heavy Drinkers With and Without Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

• Published in: Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 131 - 136
• Main Authors: Barrio, E., Tomé, S., Rodríguez, I., Gude, F., Sánchez-Leira, J., Pérez-Becerra, E., González-Quintela, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2004
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alcohol; Alcohol Dependence; Alcohol Drinking - pathology; Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome; Alcoholic Hepatitis; Alcoholic Liver Disease; Alcoholism - pathology; Chi-Square Distribution; Female; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Statistics, Nonparametric; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - pathology
• ISSN: 0145-6008; 1530-0277
• DOI: 10.1097/01.ALC.0000106301.39746.EB

: Background: Withdrawal syndrome is a hallmark of alcohol dependence. The characteristics of alcohol consumption, closely related to dependence, could influence the development of alcoholic liver disease. The study aimed to investigate if patients with severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome have a peculiar profile of liver disease. Methods: The study included 256 heavy drinkers (aged 19–75 years, 70.3% males) admitted to an Internal Medicine Department. Patients admitted for complications of liver disease were not included. Severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome (seizures, disordered perceptions, or delirium) developed in 150 patients (58.6%). Alcohol consumption (daily quantity, duration, and pattern [regular or irregular]) was assessed by questionnaire. Liver biopsy was performed in all cases. Results: Patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome showed a lower prevalence of liver cirrhosis and a higher prevalence of alcoholic hepatitis than patients without it. The negative association of alcohol withdrawal syndrome with liver cirrhosis persisted after we adjusted for sex, daily intake, duration, and pattern of alcohol consumption. Alcoholic hepatitis was independently associated with the irregular pattern of alcohol consumption, which was closely associated with severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Conclusions: The profile of liver injury is different in heavy drinkers who develop and who do not develop a severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome when admitted to the hospital.