title: Alcoholic hepatitis: a comprehensive review of pathogenesis and treatment.
abstract: Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is an acute hepatic inflammation associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Current evidence suggests that the pathogenesis is the end result of the complex interplay between ethanol metabolism, inflammation and innate immunity. Several clinical scoring systems have been derived to predict the clinical outcomes of patients with AH; such as Child-Turcotte-Pugh score, the Maddrey discriminant function, the Lille Model, the model for end stage liver disease scores, and the Glasgow alcoholic hepatitis score. At present, Corticosteroids or pentoxifylline are the current pharmacologic treatment options; though the outcomes from the therapies are poor. Liver transplantation as the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis remains controversial, and in an era of organ shortage current guidelines do not recommend transplantation as the treatment option. Because of the limitations in the therapeutic options, it is no doubt that there is a critical need for the newer and more effective pharmacological agents to treat AH.
authors.affiliation: Maneerat Chayanupatkul, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19141, United States.
authors.forename: Maneerat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chayanupatkul
authors.affiliation: Maneerat Chayanupatkul, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19141, United States.
authors.forename: Suthat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liangpunsakul
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000628:therapy; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006519:Hepatitis, Alcoholic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007249:Inflammation; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011441:Propylthiouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012436:S-Adenosylmethionine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D011441:Propylthiouracil; D012436:S-Adenosylmethionine; D010431:Pentoxifylline; D000111:Acetylcysteine
keywords: Alcoholic hepatitis; Discriminant function; Glasgow alcoholic hepatitis score; Lille Model; Liver transplantation; Model for end stage liver disease; Pathogenesis; Treatment