Systematic review of the pharmacological treatment of alcohol use disorders in individuals infected with hepatitis C.
Treating alcohol use disorders (AUD) is critical in individuals suffering from hepatitis C infection (HCV). Aside from psychosocial interventions, pharmacological treatment is effective for decreasing alcohol consumption and promoting abstinence. However, unique factors belonging to HCV-infected individuals, such as baseline hepatic vulnerability and possible ongoing hepatitis C treatment, complicate AUD drug therapy. The goal of this review is to systematically identify, summarize, and evaluate the existing evidence on the pharmacological management of AUD in HCV-infected individuals. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for English- and French-language articles published from 1993 to December 2013. The search criteria focused on clinical trials and observational studies assessing the efficacy and/or safety of pharmacological management of AUD in patients infected with HCV. Of 421 identified studies, three were included for analysis. Two were observational studies assessing the safety of disulfiram. One was a randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy and safety of baclofen. There is paucity of data regarding the efficacy and safety of pharmacological treatment of AUD in HCV-infected individuals, with studies being small series and showing significant heterogeneity. No strong recommendations can be made based on the current studies as to which pharmacological option should be preferred in this sub-population.
Research Center, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 St-Denis Street, Montreal, H2X 0A9, QC, Canada. alexis.g.thibault@gmail.com.|Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada. alexis.g.thibault@gmail.com.
Alexis
A
Thibault
Research Center, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 St-Denis Street, Montreal, H2X 0A9, QC, Canada. suzanne.brissette@umontreal.ca.|Department of Family Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada. suzanne.brissette@umontreal.ca.
Suzanne
S
Brissette
Research Center, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 St-Denis Street, Montreal, H2X 0A9, QC, Canada. didier.jutras-aswad@umontreal.ca.|Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada. didier.jutras-aswad@umontreal.ca.
Didier
D
Jutras-Aswad
D000427:Alcohol Deterrents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001418:Baclofen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004221:Disulfiram / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood
D000427:Alcohol Deterrents; D000637:Transaminases; D001418:Baclofen; D004221:Disulfiram