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Wang Y, Huang Y, Sun C, Chung H, Taner CB, Yang L. Higher-Than-Expected Burden of Alcohol-Related Liver Diseases During COVID-19 Pandemic in the USA, with a Tapering Trend. J Gen Intern Med 2024; 39:2133-2141. [PMID: 38228988 PMCID: PMC11347505 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08594-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an increase in alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of ALD hospitalization surge during the pandemic in the USA. MAIN MEASURES A retrospective trend analysis of adult hospitalizations for ALD at acute care hospitals across the USA in 2016-2020 was conducted. Hospitalizations were identified using the International Classification of Diseases 10 codes for ALD and non-alcoholic-related liver disease. Outcomes measured included the predicted monthly volume of hospitalizations for ALD and inpatient mortality rates. KEY RESULTS During the 2020 pandemic, monthly ALD hospitalizations reached 10,247 representing a 20.7% increase compared to pre-pandemic monthly average of 8490. Additional 4163 ALD hospitalizations occurred during the pandemic, in addition to a pre-pandemic uptrend. The peak of excess ALD hospitalizations was from May to October (monthly excess of 1138) decreasing to monthly excess of 280 in November and December. The excess increase in ALD hospitalizations was primarily observed in young adults, totaling 5256 cases affecting both male (2101 excess cases) and females (2041 excess cases). The age-standardized monthly mortality rate during the pandemic was notably higher than expected at 0.9% (95% CI 0.4 to 1.4%). CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in ALD hospitalizations, above and beyond the pre-existing upward trend, which tapered towards the end of 2020, suggesting a possible decline in the pandemic's impact. The excess increase in ALD hospitalizations was observed primarily in young adults and affected both males and females. These findings highlight the need for further attention to the long-term consequences of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Wang
- Division of Hospital Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yuting Huang
- Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Mayo Clinic in Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Chenyu Sun
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Howard Chung
- Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
| | - C Burcin Taner
- Department of Transplantation, Mayo Clinic in Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Liu Yang
- Department of Transplantation, Mayo Clinic in Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
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Yamazaki T, Kouno T, Hsu CL, Hartmann P, Mayo S, Zhang X, Stärkel P, Bosques-Padilla F, Verna EC, Abraldes JG, Brown RS, Vargas V, Altamirano J, Caballería J, Shawcross DL, Louvet A, Lucey MR, Mathurin P, Garcia-Tsao G, Bataller R, Schnabl B. Serum aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity is associated with survival in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis. Hepatology 2024; 80:403-417. [PMID: 38377466 PMCID: PMC11268475 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) have an altered fecal metabolome, including reduced microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites, which function as ligands for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The aim of this study was to assess serum AhR ligand activity in patients with AH. APPROACH AND RESULTS The study included 74 controls without AUD, 97 patients with AUD, and 330 patients with AH from 2 different multicenter cohorts (InTeam: 134, AlcHepNet: 196). Serum AhR activity was evaluated using an AhR reporter assay with HepG2-Lucia cells incubated with serum for 24 hours. Serum AhR activity was significantly higher in patients with AH compared with both controls (1.59 vs. 0.96-fold change, p < 0.001) and patients with AUD (1.59 vs. 0.93, p < 0.001). In both AH cohorts, patients with AhR activity ≥ 2.09 had significantly lower cumulative survival rates at 30, 60, 90, and 180 days compared to those with AhR activity < 2.09. When serum AhR activity was used to further stratify patients with severe AH, the cumulative 30, 60, 90, and 180-day survival rates for patients with severe AH and the AhR activity ≥ 2.09 group were all significantly lower than those with an AhR activity < 2.09 group. CONCLUSIONS Serum AhR activity was significantly higher in patients with AH compared with controls and individuals with AUD, and this increased activity was associated with higher mortality. Consequently, serum AhR activity holds potential as a prognostic marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoo Yamazaki
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Kouno
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Cynthia L. Hsu
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Phillipp Hartmann
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Susan Mayo
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Xinlian Zhang
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Peter Stärkel
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, St. Luc University Hospital, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Francisco Bosques-Padilla
- Hospital Universitario, Departamento de Gastroenterología, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, México
| | - Elizabeth C. Verna
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Juan G. Abraldes
- Division of Gastroenterology (Liver Unit), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Robert S. Brown
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victor Vargas
- Liver Unit, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose Altamirano
- Liver Unit, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Caballería
- Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
- Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Debbie L. Shawcross
- Institute of Liver Studies, Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Alexandre Louvet
- Service des Maladies de L’appareil Digestif et Unité INFINITE 1286, Hôpital Huriez, Lille, France
| | - Michael R. Lucey
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, WI, USA
| | - Philippe Mathurin
- Service des Maladies de L’appareil Digestif et Unité INFINITE 1286, Hôpital Huriez, Lille, France
| | - Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao
- Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Section of Digestive Diseases, VA-CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ramon Bataller
- Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic, Institut d’Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Bernd Schnabl
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA
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Simonetto DA, Winder GS, Connor AA, Terrault NA. Liver transplantation for alcohol-associated liver disease. Hepatology 2024:01515467-990000000-00916. [PMID: 38889100 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and a leading indication for liver transplantation (LT) in many countries, including the United States. However, LT for ALD is a complex and evolving field with ethical, social, and medical challenges. Thus, it requires a multidisciplinary approach and individualized decision-making. Short-term and long-term patient and graft survival of patients undergoing LT for ALD are comparable to other indications, but there is a continued need to develop better tools to identify patients who may benefit from LT, improve the pretransplant and posttransplant management of ALD, and evaluate the impact of LT for ALD on the organ donation and transplantation systems. In this review, we summarize the current evidence on LT for ALD, from alcohol-associated hepatitis to decompensated alcohol-associated cirrhosis. We discuss the indications, criteria, outcomes, and controversies of LT for these conditions and highlight the knowledge gaps and research priorities in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas A Simonetto
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Ashton A Connor
- Department of Surgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Norah A Terrault
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Vock DM, Humphreville V, Ramanathan KV, Adams AB, Lim N, Nguyen VH, Wothe JK, Chinnakotla S. The landscape of liver transplantation for patients with alcohol-associated liver disease in the United States. Liver Transpl 2024:01445473-990000000-00378. [PMID: 38727598 DOI: 10.1097/lvt.0000000000000394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Indications for liver transplants have expanded to include patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) over the last decade. Concurrently, the liver allocation policy was updated in February 2020 replacing the Donor Service Area with Acuity Circles (ACs). The aim is to compare the transplantation rate, waitlist outcomes, and posttransplant survival of candidates with ALD to non-ALD and assess differences in that effect after the implementation of the AC policy. Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients data for adult candidates for liver transplant were reviewed from the post-AC era (February 4, 2020-March 1, 2022) and compared with an equivalent length of time before ACs were implemented. The adjusted transplant rates were significantly higher for those with ALD before AC, and this difference increased after AC implementation (transplant rate ratio comparing ALD to non-ALD = 1.20, 1.13, 1.61, and 1.32 for the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease categories 37-40, 33-36, 29-32, and 25-28, respectively, in the post-AC era, p < 0.05 for all). The adjusted likelihood of death/removal from the waitlist was lower for patients with ALD across all lower Model for End-Stage Liver Disease categories (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio = 0.70, 0.81, 0.84, and 0.70 for the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease categories 25-28, 20-24, 15-19, 6-14, respectively, p < 0.05). Adjusted posttransplant survival was better for those with ALD (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.81, p < 0.05). Waiting list and posttransplant mortality tended to improve more for those with ALD since the implementation of AC but not significantly. ALD is a growing indication for liver transplantation. Although patients with ALD continue to have excellent posttransplant outcomes and lower waitlist mortality, candidates with ALD have higher adjusted transplant rates, and these differences have increased after AC implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Vock
- Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Vanessa Humphreville
- Liver Transplant Program, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Karthik V Ramanathan
- Liver Transplant Program, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Andrew B Adams
- Liver Transplant Program, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Nicholas Lim
- Liver Transplant Program, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Vinh H Nguyen
- Liver Transplant Program, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jillian K Wothe
- Liver Transplant Program, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Srinath Chinnakotla
- Liver Transplant Program, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Åberg F, Jiang ZG, Cortez-Pinto H, Männistö V. Alcohol-associated liver disease-Global epidemiology. Hepatology 2024:01515467-990000000-00852. [PMID: 38640041 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), as highlighted in this narrative review, is a major public health concern, increasingly impacting global disease burden and premature mortality. In 2019, ALD accounted for the loss of 11 million life-years worldwide. The rising number of deaths and disability-adjusted life-years attributed to ALD, particularly pronounced in the United States, are alarming. Projections suggest that the economic impact of ALD, as seen in the United States, could potentially double by 2040. ALD is increasingly prevalent among younger adults (20-45 y) and has become the leading cause of liver transplantation in both United States and Europe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the existing trend was further amplified as high-risk drinking patterns coincided with a rise in hospital admissions for alcohol-associated hepatitis and increased ALD-related mortality. The prevalence of ALD is estimated at 3.5% in the general population, 26.0% among hazardous drinkers, and 55.1% among those with alcohol use disorders. Alarmingly, 5-year mortality rates for patients with ALD exceed 50%, with even higher rates in more advanced disease stages. Methodological challenges, such as underreporting, diagnostic difficulties, and variability in registry data quality, complicate the accurate assessment of the impact of ALD. Additionally, the contribution of alcohol to the progression of other liver diseases is often under acknowledged in health care registries, leading to a significant underestimation of its broader implications for liver health. Addressing the growing ALD concern requires robust public health initiatives, heightened awareness, refined diagnostic techniques, and comprehensive epidemiological studies. These measures are vital to tackle the increasing prevalence of ALD and mitigate its extensive impact on individuals and health care systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fredrik Åberg
- Transplantation and Liver Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Z Gordon Jiang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Helena Cortez-Pinto
- Clínica Universitária de Gastrenterologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ville Männistö
- Department of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
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Aby ES, Vogel AS, Winters AC. Intersection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Alcohol-associated Liver Disease: A Review of Emerging Trends and Implications. Clin Ther 2023; 45:1164-1170. [PMID: 37758533 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2023.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This review will provide an overview of alcohol use and alcohol associated liver disease (ALD) prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the impact of the pandemic on alcohol use and ALD. Furthermore, this review will explore strategies to mitigate the growing disease burden of AUD and ALD. METHODS A search using PubMed was performed for articles on topics related to alcohol use, ALD, and COVID-19. The literature was reviewed and pertinent sources were used for this narrative review. FINDINGS In the United States (US), excessive alcohol use is the third leading cause of preventable death. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the increasing prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and ALD in the US had already constituted a public health crisis given the association between alcohol misuse, AUD, and ALD with significant medical, economic, and societal burdens. The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased alcohol consumption and downstream consequences, including increased prevalence of AUD, ALD, ALD-related hospitalization and death, and liver transplantation for ALD. IMPLICATIONS There is a critical need for additional, multi-pronged interventions to mitigate the mortality and morbidity linked to ALD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Aby
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
| | - Alexander S Vogel
- Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Adam C Winters
- Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
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