Diagnosis and Management of Alcohol Use Disorder in Patients with Liver Disease: Lights and Shadows

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder is the most common cause of advanced liver disease in the Western world. Diagnosis of alcohol use disorder can be difficult because patients with liver disease tend to deny alcohol intake for the fear of being excluded from treatment and because available biomarkers of alcohol intake have poor specificity in these patients. Alcohol abstinence is the cornerstone of the therapy in these patients. However, pharmacological treatments for alcohol use disorders have not been formally tested in patients with advanced liver disease, except for baclofen. Psychosocial intervention became crucial in these patients considering the limited pharmacological choice. However, psychosocial approach and an appropriate team to manage these patients are not still well defined. In this review, we critically discuss the diagnosis and the management of alcohol use disorder in patients with liver disease.