TY - JOUR
T1 - Chronic Liver Disease in Abusers of Alcohol and Parenteral Drugs
T2 - A Report of 204 Consecutive Biopsy‐Proven Cases
AU - Novick, David M.
AU - Stenger, Richard J.
AU - Gelb, Alvin M.
AU - Most, Jeanne
AU - Yancovitz, Stanley R.
AU - Kreek, Mary Jeanne
PY - 1986/9
Y1 - 1986/9
N2 - We studied a consecutive series of 204 patients who were admitted to a hospital for addictive diseases during 40 months and who had a liver biopsy. Parenteral drug abusers (n= 34) were significantly younger than alcohol abusers (n= 23) or abusers of both (n= 147) and had lower levels of serum alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and aspartate aminotransferase than the other two groups. Chronic active hepatitis and chronic persistent hepatitis were more frequent (p < 0.001) in abusers of parenteral drugs alone, whereas cirrhosis was found most often (p < 0.001) in abusers of both alcohol and parenteral drugs. Cirrhosis was present in 10 of 39 (26%) simultaneous abusers of alcohol and parenteral drugs compared with 58 of 96 (60%) alcohol‐abusing former parenteral drug abusers (p < 0.001). Methadone maintenance treatment was not associated with cirrhosis. Thus, methadone‐maintained patients who abuse alcohol and develop cirrhosis should remain in methadone maintenance treatment and receive concomitant alcoholism treatment Also, these data further support the hypothesis that abusers of both alcohol and parenteral drugs have an increased risk of developing cirrhosis.
AB - We studied a consecutive series of 204 patients who were admitted to a hospital for addictive diseases during 40 months and who had a liver biopsy. Parenteral drug abusers (n= 34) were significantly younger than alcohol abusers (n= 23) or abusers of both (n= 147) and had lower levels of serum alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and aspartate aminotransferase than the other two groups. Chronic active hepatitis and chronic persistent hepatitis were more frequent (p < 0.001) in abusers of parenteral drugs alone, whereas cirrhosis was found most often (p < 0.001) in abusers of both alcohol and parenteral drugs. Cirrhosis was present in 10 of 39 (26%) simultaneous abusers of alcohol and parenteral drugs compared with 58 of 96 (60%) alcohol‐abusing former parenteral drug abusers (p < 0.001). Methadone maintenance treatment was not associated with cirrhosis. Thus, methadone‐maintained patients who abuse alcohol and develop cirrhosis should remain in methadone maintenance treatment and receive concomitant alcoholism treatment Also, these data further support the hypothesis that abusers of both alcohol and parenteral drugs have an increased risk of developing cirrhosis.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0022978984&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1986.tb05131.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1986.tb05131.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 3541673
AN - SCOPUS:0022978984
SN - 0145-6008
VL - 10
SP - 500
EP - 505
JO - Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
JF - Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
IS - 5
ER -