title: Alcoholic liver disease: proposed recommendations for the American College of Gastroenterology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this work was to develop practice guidelines for the management of alcoholic liver disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  A computerized search using the Medline Data Base from 1966-July 1997 was performed with the search headings; alcohol, alcoholic hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, liver transplant, diagnosis, epidemiology, human, and English only. All randomized controlled trials, case-control studies, and meta-analyses were read in depth. A manual search was also done using references from each retrieved report, review articles, editorials, postgraduate course syllabi, and textbooks. In the subsequent review, evidence was evaluated using a hierarchical scale with randomized, controlled trials given the most importance. Abstracts presented at national meetings were included only when unique data were obtained from those studies.
authors.affiliation: Center of Nutrition and Metabolism, Metro Health Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44109-1998, USA.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McCullough
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: O'Connor
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*