Medical Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder Likely To Reduce Alcohol Associated Liver Disease

A recent cohort study investigated patients with alcohol use disorder, those who received medical addiction therapy and found they had a significantly lower risk of developing alcohol-associated liver disease, whereas patients with cirrhosis who received medical addiction therapy had a significantly lower incidence of hepatic decompensation. Findings published in JAMA Open Network suggest an association between use of medical addiction therapy for alcohol use disorder and decreased incidence and progression of alcohol-associated liver disease.

Medical addiction therapy was defined as the documented use of disulfiram, acamprosate, naltrexone, gabapentin, topiramate, or baclofen. Patients were considered to be treated if they initiated medical addiction therapy before the relevant outcome.

Incidence of alcohol-associated liver disease was 0.37. This association was evident in naltrexone 0.67, gabapentin 0.36, topiramate 0.47, and baclofen 0.57. In addition, pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder was associated with lower incidence of hepatic decompensation in patients with cirrhosis, including naltrexone and gabapentin. This association persisted even when medical addiction therapy was initiated only after the diagnosis of cirrhosis.

Researchers concluded that results of this study showed that receipt of medical addiction therapy for alcohol use disorder was associated with reduced incidence and progression of alcohol-associated liver disease.