Official guideline from the American College of Gastroenterology.
These guideline summaries are shared for educational purposes only and are not intended to direct patient care. For detail on the specific recommendations and information about the evidence considered by the guideline developer, we encourage you to go to the original guideline statement cited below.
Environmental and Genetic Determinants
Environmental and Genetic Determinants
Conditional recommendation
Very low quality evidence
Patients with obesity or chronic HCV should avoid consumption of alcohol.
Conditional recommendation
Very low quality evidence
Patients with ALD should be advised to abstain from cigarettes.
Diagnosis of Alcoholic Use Disorder
Diagnosis of Alcoholic Use Disorder
Strong recommendation
Low quality evidence
Patients who have heavy alcohol use (>3 drinks per day in men and >2 drinks in women) for >5 years) should be counseled that they are at increased risk for alcoholic liver disease.
Management of Alcoholic Liver Disease
Management of Alcohol Use Disorder
Conditional recommendation
Low quality evidence
In patients with ALD, baclofen is effective in preventing alcohol relapse.
Conditional recommendation
Very low quality evidence
In patients with ALD, brief motivational interventions are effective in reducing alcohol relapse compared with no intervention.
Alcoholic Hepatitis
Treatment of Alcoholic Hepatitis
Conditional recommendation
Very low quality evidence
Patients with AH should be considered for nutritional supplementation to ensure adequate caloric intake and to correct specific deficits, yet its effects on patient survival has not been proven.
Strong recommendation
Moderate quality evidence
Patients with severe AH should be treated with corticosteroids if there are no contraindications for their use.
Conditional recommendation
Low quality evidence
The existing evidence does not support the use of pentoxifylline for patients with severe AH.
Liver Transplantation in Alcoholic Liver Disease
Liver Transplantation in Alcoholic Liver Disease
Strong recommendation
Moderate quality evidence
Liver transplantation may be considered for highly selected patients with severe AH.
