Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease

Abstract

This article is part of a Festschrift commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Established in 1970, first as part of the National Institute of Mental Health and later as an independent institute of the National Institutes of Health, NIAAA today is the world’s largest funding agency for alcohol research. In addition to its own intramural research program, NIAAA supports the entire spectrum of innovative basic, translational, and clinical research to advance the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related problems. To celebrate the anniversary, NIAAA hosted a 2-day symposium, “Alcohol Across the Lifespan: 50 Years of Evidence-Based Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment Research,” devoted to key topics within the field of alcohol research. This article is based on Dr. Shah’s presentation at the event. NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., serves as editor of the Festschrift.

Current Therapeutic Options and Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Alcoholic Liver Disease

“…It is vital to emphasize the importance of abstinence to patients with ALD [7,68,69]. Abstinence ameliorates liver damage caused by alcohol consumption and reverses liver damage in patients with early-stage ALD [69,70].…”

“…Uncontrolled, chronic and binge alcohol consumption result in an increase in alcohol-related diseases worldwide and account for 5.1% of the global burden of diseases [5]. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is responsible for the majority of alcohol-related deaths [6,7]. The liver is highly susceptible to alcohol because it is the first organ where alcohol is metabolized, and it has a high level of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes [8,9].…”

NIAAA 50th Anniversary Festschrift: From the Editor

“…Finally, Dr. Ramkissoon and Dr. Shah review the current state of knowledge for one of the most common consequences of alcohol misuse, alcohol-associated liver disease, in “Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease.” Alcohol-associated liver disease is a major contributor to alcohol-related mortality, and its treatment remains an unmet clinical need. 18 …”

“…Alcohol-associated liver disease is a major contributor to alcohol-related mortality, and its treatment remains an unmet clinical need. 18 Despite the broad range of topics they cover, these articles represent only a snapshot of the full spectrum of research that NIAAA-funded investigators have conducted over the last 50 years and will continue to explore in the coming decades (https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/).…”

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis: a study across 10 years

“…Alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) is a common and severe state in chronic liver injuries associated with excessive alcohol consumption. The global prevalence of alcohol-related compensated cirrhosis remained relatively unchanged from 1990 (290/100 000 people) to 2017 (288/100 000 people); however, the global prevalence of decompensated cirrhosis rose from 1.1 million individuals in 1990 to 2.5 million individuals in 2017 [4]. Meanwhile, mortality due to alcohol-related liver disease is rising with time [5].…”