title: Liver disease in heavy drinkers with and without alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Withdrawal syndrome is a hallmark of alcohol dependence. The characteristics of alcohol consumption, closely related to dependence, could influence the development of alcoholic liver disease. The study aimed to investigate if patients with severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome have a peculiar profile of liver disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 256 heavy drinkers (aged 19-75 years, 70.3% males) admitted to an Internal Medicine Department. Patients admitted for complications of liver disease were not included. Severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome (seizures, disordered perceptions, or delirium) developed in 150 patients (58.6%). Alcohol consumption (daily quantity, duration, and pattern [regular or irregular]) was assessed by questionnaire. Liver biopsy was performed in all cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome showed a lower prevalence of liver cirrhosis and a higher prevalence of alcoholic hepatitis than patients without it. The negative association of alcohol withdrawal syndrome with liver cirrhosis persisted after we adjusted for sex, daily intake, duration, and pattern of alcohol consumption. Alcoholic hepatitis was independently associated with the irregular pattern of alcohol consumption, which was closely associated with severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The profile of liver injury is different in heavy drinkers who develop and who do not develop a severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome when admitted to the hospital.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barrio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomé
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gude
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Leira
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pérez-Becerra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Quintela
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000473:pathology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000473:pathology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000473:pathology*