Clinical and microbiological features of infection in alcoholic hepatitis: an international cohort study

Value of inflammatory response and oxidative damage in the diagnosis of infections in severe alcoholic hepatitis

Severe alcoholic hepatitis is the most lethal complication in alcohol dependent patients. The concurrence of infections in these patients is very frequent. Both produce a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), secondary to intense release of inflammatory cytokines, which can complicate the diagnosis. In our study, Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 levels are higher in patients with SIRS (p<0.001 and p = 0.033, respectively). IL-4, IL-6, Interferon-gamma (IFNγ), Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and IL-17 levels correlate with liver function, as estimated by MELD-Na (p = 0.018, p = 0.008, p = 0.009, p = 0.016 and p = 0.006, respectively). Malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of lipid peroxidation and marker of cell damage, also correlates with liver function (p = 0.002), but not with SIRS or infections. Only elevated IL-6 correlates independently with the presence of infections (RR=1.023 IC 95% 1.000-1.047), so it may be useful for the correct diagnosis in these patients. Values greater than 30 pg/mL have a sensitivity: 86.7% and specificity: 94.7% for the diagnosis of infections.

Alcohol-associated liver disease: Epidemiology and management

Alcohol is the leading cause of preventable liver morbidity and mortality worldwide, as it is also the most frequent cause of advanced liver disease. Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) covers different phenotypes ranging from steatosis to the development of inflammation (steatohepatitis), fibrosis and ultimately, in a proportion of patients, the development of liver cirrhosis and its associated complications. ALD has a complex pathogenesis that includes the interplay of both genetic and environmental factors, yet the precise mechanisms are largely unknown. Alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is a severe clinical presentation of ALD, which is characterized by abrupt jaundice and clinical decompensations of liver disease. AH occurs in a percentage of patients with underlying ALD and active alcohol consumption. Currently, there are no approved targeted therapies able to interfere in the pathogenesis of ALD and halt the progression of the disease, therefore alcohol abstinence is the most effective measure to improve prognosis in this patient population. In this regard, alcohol cessation remains the first-line treatment in all stages of alcohol disease. In patients with advanced ALD nonresponding to medical therapy, liver transplantation is the only approach that improves prognosis, and it should be considered in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. In the last years, AH has emerged as a new indication of early liver transplantation in non-responders to medical therapy, with promising results in highly selected patients. In this review, we provide an update on the epidemiology, risk factors, natural history, diagnosis, pathogenesis, and current treatments for ALD, taking into account the importance of assessing and managing alcohol consumption as the etiological factor and the main driver of prognosis in patients with ALD.

ACG Clinical Guideline: Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease

ABSTRACT

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is the most common cause of advanced hepatic disease and frequent indication for liver transplantation worldwide. With harmful alcohol use as the primary risk factor, increasing alcohol use over the past decade has resulted in rapid growth of the ALD-related healthcare burden. The spectrum of ALD ranges from early asymptomatic liver injury to advanced disease with decompensation and portal hypertension. Compared with those with other etiologies of liver disease, patients with ALD progress faster and more often present at an advanced stage. A unique phenotype of advanced disease is alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) presenting with rapid onset or worsening of jaundice, and acute on chronic liver failure in severe forms conveying a 1-month mortality risk of 20%-50%. The model for end stage disease score is the most accurate score to stratify AH severity (>20 defined as severe disease). Corticosteroids are currently the only available therapeutic with proven efficacy for patients with severe AH, providing survival benefit at 1 month in 50%-60% of patients. Abstinence of alcohol use, a crucial determinant of long-term outcomes, is challenging to achieve in ALD patients with concurrent alcohol use disorder (AUD). As patients with ALD are rarely treated for AUD, strategies are needed to overcome barriers to AUD treatment in patients with ALD and to promote a multidisciplinary integrated care model with hepatology, addiction medicine providers, and social workers to comprehensively manage the dual pathologies of liver disease and of AUD. Liver transplantation, a definitive treatment option in patients with advanced cirrhosis, should be considered in selected patients with AH, who are unresponsive to medical therapy and have a low risk of relapse to posttransplant alcohol use. Level of evidence and strength of recommendations were evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations system. This guideline was developed under the American College of Gastroenterology Practice Parameters Committee.

Organism profile and C-reactive protein (CRP) response are different in periprosthetic joint infection in patients with hepatitis

PURPOSE

Hepatitis B and C are important and relatively common health issues. It is known that many patients who underwent total knee and hip arthroplasty were also diagnosed with hepatitis. These patients are at higher risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). This study aimed to investigate the differences in PJI cases in hepatitis B and C patients.

METHODS

This is a retrospective case-controlled single-center study. A total of 270 patients with hepatitis and non-hepatitis (control group) who underwent one-stage septic exchange to the hip and knee joints were included in the study. All patients' previous surgical histories, infective organisms, C-reactive protein (CRP) values before septic exchange, and demographic data were evaluated. All microbiological and laboratory evaluations were performed separately for knee and hip arthroplasty.

RESULTS

The mean CRP levels of Hep B- and C-positive patients, who underwent one-stage septic exchange in the knee joint, were 23.6 mg/L. In the control group, this value was 43.1 mg/L and a statistically significant difference was found between the groups (p = 0.004). Gram-negative organisms were identified in a larger proportion of patients with hepatitis who developed PJI in both hip and knee joints and underwent one-stage septic exchange (p = 0.041/p = 0.044).

CONCLUSION

PJIs caused by Gram-negative bacteria are encountered more frequently in patients with hepatitis than in the control group. In addition, the CRP rise is less in patients with hepatitis compared to PJI cases in the control group. Patient-specific evaluation is required in cases of PJI in patient groups with co-existing hepatitis.

Quality standards for the management of alcohol-related liver disease: consensus recommendations from the British Association for the Study of the Liver and British Society of Gastroenterology ARLD special interest group

OBJECTIVE

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is the most common cause of liver-related ill health and liver-related deaths in the UK, and deaths from ALD have doubled in the last decade. The management of ALD requires treatment of both liver disease and alcohol use; this necessitates effective and constructive multidisciplinary working. To support this, we have developed quality standard recommendations for the management of ALD, based on evidence and consensus expert opinion, with the aim of improving patient care.

DESIGN

A multidisciplinary group of experts from the British Association for the Study of the Liver and British Society of Gastroenterology ALD Special Interest Group developed the quality standards, with input from the British Liver Trust and patient representatives.

RESULTS

The standards cover three broad themes: the recognition and diagnosis of people with ALD in primary care and the liver outpatient clinic; the management of acutely decompensated ALD including acute alcohol-related hepatitis and the posthospital care of people with advanced liver disease due to ALD. Draft quality standards were initially developed by smaller working groups and then an anonymous modified Delphi voting process was conducted by the entire group to assess the level of agreement with each statement. Statements were included when agreement was 85% or greater. Twenty-four quality standards were produced from this process which support best practice. From the final list of statements, a smaller number of auditable key performance indicators were selected to allow services to benchmark their practice and an audit tool provided.

CONCLUSION

It is hoped that services will review their practice against these recommendations and key performance indicators and institute service development where needed to improve the care of patients with ALD.

Global prevalence, incidence, and outcomes of alcohol related liver diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Alcohol related liver disease (ARLD) is one of the major chronic liver diseases worldwide. This review aimed to describe the global prevalence, incidence, and outcomes of ARLD.

METHODS

Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched from inception to May 31, 2022. The language was restricted to English or Chinese. According to the criteria, articles describing the basic characteristics of the population were selected. Two reviewers extracted the data independently.

RESULTS

A total of 372 studies were identified: 353 were used for prevalence analysis, 7 were used for incidence analysis, and 114 were used to for outcome analysis. The prevalence of ARLD worldwide was 4.8%. The prevalence in males was 2.9%, which was higher than female (0.5%). Among the ethnic groups, the percentage was highest in Caucasians (68.9%). Alcoholic liver cirrhosis comprised the highest proportion in the disease spectrum of ARLD at 32.9%. The prevalence of ascites in ARLD population was highest (25.1%). The ARLD population who drinking for > 20 years accounted for 54.8%, and the average daily alcohol intake was 146.6 g/d. About 59.5% of ARLD patients were current or former smokers, and 18.7% were complicated with hepatitis virus infection. The incidence was 0.208/1000 person-years. The overall mortality was 23.9%, and the liver-related mortality was 21.6%.

CONCLUSION

The global prevalence of ARLD was 4.8% and was affected by sex, region, drinking years, and other factors. Therefore, removing the factors causing a high disease prevalence is an urgent requisite.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO Nr: CRD42021286192.

Early Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Lately, there has been a steady increase in early liver transplantation for alcohol-associated hepatitis (AAH). Although several studies have reported favorable outcomes with cadaveric early liver transplantation, the experiences with early living donor liver transplantation (eLDLT) are limited. The primary objective was to assess one-year survival in patients with AAH who underwent eLDLT. The secondary objectives were to describe the donor characteristics, assess the complications following eLDLT, and the rate of alcohol relapse.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This single-center retrospective study was conducted at AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India, between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021.

RESULTS

Twenty-five patients underwent eLDLT. The mean time from abstinence to eLDLT was 92.4±42.94 days. The mean model for end-stage liver disease and discriminant function score at eLDLT were 28.16±2.89 and 104±34.56, respectively. The mean graft-to-recipient weight ratio was 0.85±0.12. Survival was 72% (95%CI, 50.61-88) after a median follow-up of 551 (23-932) days post-LT. Of the 18 women donors,11 were the wives of the recipient. Six of the nine infected recipients died: three of fungal sepsis, two of bacterial sepsis, and one of COVID-19. One patient developed hepatic artery thrombosis and died of early graft dysfunction. Twenty percent had alcohol relapse.

CONCLUSIONS

eLDLT is a reasonable treatment option for patients with AAH, with a survival of 72% in our experience. Infections early on post-LT accounted for mortality, and thus a high index of suspicion of infections and vigorous surveillance, in a condition prone to infections, are needed to improve outcomes.

Infections in Alcoholic Hepatitis

Severe alcoholic hepatitis (sAH) is defined by a modified discriminant function ≥32 or model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) >20. Patients with sAH are in an immunocompromised state attributed to cirrhosis-related immunoparesis and corticosteroid use. Individuals with sAH often develop severe infections that adversely impact short-term prognosis. Currently, the corticosteroid prednisolone is the only treatment with proven efficacy in sAH; however, the combination of corticosteroid treatment and altered host defense in sAH has been thought to increase the risk of acquiring of bacterial, opportunistic fungal, and viral infections. Newer studies have shown that corticosteroids do not increase occurrence of infections in those with sAH; unfortunately, the lack of response to corticosteroids may instead predispose to infection development. Prompt and appropriate antibiotic treatment is therefore essential to improving patient outcomes. This review highlights common infections and risk factors in patients with sAH. Additionally, current diagnostic, therapeutic, and prophylactic strategies in these patients are discussed.

Lung Infection Affects Access to Treatment and Short-Term Outcome in Patients With Severe Alcohol-Related Hepatitis Treated With Corticosteroids

INTRODUCTION

Severe alcohol-related hepatitis (AH) is associated with an increased risk of infection, but the impact of pneumonia has not been specifically analyzed in a specific cohort.

METHODS

All patients admitted for severe AH between 2002 and 2020 were prospectively included. Systematic screening for infection was performed at admission and renewed in the case of clinical suspicion.

RESULTS

We included 614 patients (60.4% men, mean age 49.9 years, median model for end-stage liver disease [MELD] 25.2, bilirubin 18.1 mg/dL), 202 (32.9%) with infections at admission (73 lung infections). Encephalopathy ( P = 0.006), MELD score ( P = 0.0002), and tobacco exposure (past vs never smokers: P = 0.002 or active vs past smokers: P = 0.005) were associated with lung infection at admission on multivariate analysis. Factors independently associated with death before steroid initiation were encephalopathy ( P = 0.003), MELD score ( P = 0.05), and especially lung infection ( P < 0.0001). Thus, patients with a lung infection had a lower probability of receiving steroids than those with other infections and noninfected patients: 54.8 vs 88.4 vs 98.1% ( P < 0.0001). One hundred forty-six of the 558 patients who received corticosteroids developed infection, including 57 (39.04%) pneumonias. The risk of respiratory and nonrespiratory infection was higher in nonresponders to steroids (Lille score ≥0.45) than in responders: 13% vs 7.6%, P = 0.03 and 27.9% vs 10.6%, P < 0.001, respectively. The variables independently associated with 3-month mortality after steroid initiation were lung infection ( P = 0.004), nonresponse to steroids ( P < 0.0001), MELD score ( P = 0.0003), ascites ( P = 0.003), and encephalopathy ( P = 0.018), whereas nonrespiratory infections were not ( P = 0.91).

DISCUSSION

Lung infection is frequent during severe AH and influences mortality at admission and after steroid initiation. These results emphasize the need for specific management of lung infection during the course of AH.

Utility of neutrophil CD64 in distinguishing bacterial infection from inflammation in severe alcoholic hepatitis fulfilling SIRS criteria

To assess utility of neutrophilCD64 (nCD64) expression in differentiating bacterial infection from inflammation in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) fulfilling systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. Patients with SAH and infection (n = 58), SAH without infection (n = 70), and healthy controls (n = 20) were included. Neutrophil CD64 expression by flowcytometry, serum Procalcitonin (ELISA) and C-reactive protein (Nephelometry) and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were studied. Percentage of neutrophils with CD64 expression (nCD64%) was significantly higher in patients with SAH and infection than in those without infection and controls [76.2% (56.9–86.5) vs. 16% (12.6–23.1) vs. 7.05% (1.4–9.5), p < 0.05], as was their mean fluorescence intensity [MFI; 1431 (229–1828) vs. 853 (20–968) vs. 99.5 (54.7–140.7), p < 0.05]. Using a cut-off of 27%, the sensitivity and specificity of nCD64% to diagnose bacterial infection was 94% and 81%, respectively, with area under curve (AUC) of 0.95. At a cut-off value of 0.261 ng/ml, the sensitivity and specificity of serum procalcitonin was 83% and 72%, respectively, with AUC of 0.86. Serum CRP, total leukocyte count, NLR had AUCs of 0.78, 0.63 and 0.64, respectively. Quantitative measurement of nCD64 can better distinguish systemic bacterial infection and inflammation in SAH as compared to traditional biomarkers.

Incorporating mucosal-associated invariant T cells into the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells have been described in liver and non-liver diseases, and they have been ascribed antimicrobial, immune regulatory, protective, and pathogenic roles. The goals of this review are to describe their biological properties, indicate their involvement in chronic liver disease, and encourage investigations that clarify their actions and therapeutic implications. English abstracts were identified in PubMed by multiple search terms, and bibliographies were developed. MAIT cells are activated by restricted non-peptides of limited diversity and by multiple inflammatory cytokines. Diverse pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and immune regulatory cytokines are released; infected cells are eliminated; and memory cells emerge. Circulating MAIT cells are hyper-activated, immune exhausted, dysfunctional, and depleted in chronic liver disease. This phenotype lacks disease-specificity, and it does not predict the biological effects. MAIT cells have presumed protective actions in chronic viral hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and decompensated cirrhosis. They have pathogenic and pro-fibrotic actions in autoimmune hepatitis and mixed actions in primary biliary cholangitis. Local factors in the hepatic microenvironment (cytokines, bile acids, gut-derived bacterial antigens, and metabolic by-products) may modulate their response in individual diseases. Investigational manipulations of function are warranted to establish an association with disease severity and outcome. In conclusion, MAIT cells constitute a disease-nonspecific, immune response to chronic liver inflammation and infection. Their pathological role has been deduced from their deficiencies during active liver disease, and future investigations must clarify this role, link it to outcome, and explore therapeutic interventions.

Current Management and Future Treatment of Alcoholic Hepatitis

Excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for approximately 50% of all deaths due to cirrhosis. Although the duration and amount of alcohol consumption are the primary factors responsible for the liver injury caused by consuming alcohol, the pathogenesis of the 3 stages of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD)-fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis (AH), and cirrhosis- is likely multifactorial. Preexisting obesity, dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, activation of proinflammatory cytokines, and genetic factors can all contribute to the risk of developing ALD. The cornerstone of therapy for all stages of ALD is abstinence from drinking alcoholic beverages. Severe AH, defined by a Maddrey discriminant function greater than 32, warrants additional therapy. The results of multiple studies evaluating the use of glucocorticoids in the treatment of severe AH led to guidelines from international societies that recommend glucocorticoid therapy in patients with severe AH without active infection. Liver transplantation provides an effective treatment option for patients who fail glucocorticoid therapy. Recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of AH have led to the investigation of potential therapies directed at preventing the development of steatosis, inhibiting the innate immune response, modifying the gut microbiome, and stimulating liver regeneration.

Recent advances in alcoholic hepatitis

Alcoholic hepatitis is the severest clinical presentation of alcoholic liver disease. Lacking an effective pharmacologic treatment, alcoholic hepatitis is associated with a poor prognosis and its recovery relies mostly on abstinence. With alcohol use disorder being universally on the rise, the impact of alcoholic hepatitis on society and health-care costs is expected to increase significantly. Prognostic factors and liver biopsy can help with timely diagnosis, to determine eligibility and response to corticosteroids, and for prognostication and transplant referral. Although recent discoveries in the pathophysiology of alcoholic hepatitis are encouraging and could pave the way for novel treatment modalities, a multidisciplinary approach considering timely identification and treatment of liver-related complications, infectious and metabolic disease, malnutrition, and addiction counseling should be emphasized. Apart from proper selection of candidates, transplant programs should provide adequate post-transplant addiction support in order to make of early liver transplantation for alcoholic hepatitis the ultimate sobering experience in the next decade.

Intestinal Fungal Dysbiosis and Systemic Immune Response to Fungi in Patients With Alcoholic Hepatitis

Chronic alcohol consumption causes increased intestinal permeability and changes in the intestinal microbiota composition, which contribute to the development and progression of alcohol-related liver disease. In this setting, little is known about commensal fungi in the gut. We studied the intestinal mycobiota in a cohort of patients with alcoholic hepatitis, patients with alcohol use disorder, and nonalcoholic controls using fungal-specific internal transcribed spacer amplicon sequencing of fecal samples. We further measured serum anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) as a systemic immune response to fungal products or fungi. Candida was the most abundant genus in the fecal mycobiota of the two alcohol groups, whereas genus Penicillium dominated the mycobiome of nonalcoholic controls. We observed a lower diversity in the alcohol groups compared with controls. Antibiotic or steroid treatment was not associated with a lower diversity. Patients with alcoholic hepatitis had significantly higher ASCA levels compared to patients with alcohol use disorder and to nonalcoholic controls. Within the alcoholic hepatitis cohort, patients with levels of at least 34 IU/mL had a significantly lower 90-day survival (59%) compared with those with ASCA levels less than 34 IU/mL (80%) with an adjusted hazard ratio of 3.13 (95% CI, 1.11-8.82; P = 0.031). Conclusion: Patients with alcohol-associated liver disease have a lower fungal diversity with an overgrowth of Candida compared with controls. Higher serum ASCA was associated with increased mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Intestinal fungi may serve as a therapeutic target to improve survival, and ASCA may be useful to predict the outcome in patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis

Alcoholic hepatitis is a unique type of alcohol-associated liver disease characterized by acute liver inflammation caused by prolonged heavy alcohol use. Treatment is mostly supportive. The short-term prognosis of acute alcoholic hepatitis depends on liver recovery, and ranges widely from rapid improvement to grim multiorgan failure despite treatment. Refinement of scoring systems have enhanced prognostication to guide clinical decision making in alcoholic hepatitis. Recent advances in the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis have solidified corticosteroids as the cornerstone of treatment to enhance short-term survival, but not intermediate or long-term survival.

Advances in the treatment of severe alcoholic hepatitis

Severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) is a costly and worldwide public health issue with high morbidity and mortality. Specific effective treatments for SAH have yet to be established. The aim of the present article is to review the current knowledge of the pathogenesis, assessment and treatment options in patients with SAH. To date, alcohol abstinence and enteral nutrition are the recommended first-line treatments. Although corticosteroids remain the preferred therapy for certain patients with a modified Maddrey discriminant function level greater than 54, they only improve short-term survival rates. New research focuses on liver inflammation, liver regeneration, the gut-liver axis, human induced pluripotent stem cells and extracorporeal albumin dialysis. Liver transplantation is considered the last medical option for patients with SAH who are nonresponsive to other medical treatments.