The influence of alcohol use on outcomes in patients transplanted for non-alcoholic liver disease

Abstract

Alcohol relapse after liver transplantation (LT) for alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a common event that has been extensively studied. In contrast, alcohol consumption has usually been neglected in patients transplanted for other liver diseases. First off, patients can be mislabeled as 'non-ALD' when they suffer from another chronic liver disease. Then, alcohol consumption is not systematically tracked after LT in recipients having a primary indication other than ALD, although there are increasing data incriminating alcohol as responsible for graft damage and impaired survival. This review discusses the potential consequences of alcohol after liver transplantation, focusing on patients transplanted for non-alcoholic liver disease, as well as the legitimate role of an addiction specialist, before and after LT. Short Summary: Alcohol relapse after liver transplantation (LT) for alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a common event that has been extensively studied. In contrast, alcohol consumption has usually been neglected in patients transplanted for other liver diseases. There are increasing data showing that alcohol consumption and its consequences should be tracked in every transplant candidate and recipient.