Recent developments in the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis

Alcoholic hepatitis is a form of acute injury to liver tissue that is also a precursor of cirrhosis, and carries significant morbidity and mortality. Severe alcoholic hepatitis in particular carries a high short-term mortality, and also places an enormous burden on stretched healthcare resources. Treatment of alcoholic hepatitis has been limited to supportive management and nutritional supplementation without clear improvements in outcome, and the timing and patient selection for hepatic transplantation is problematic. The use of corticosteroids has remained controversial for many years, but probably has a role in selected patients. Various other therapeutic strategies have been tested over the decades and none has shown any consistent benefit. Recently there have been major developments in our understanding of the mechanisms of alcoholic liver injury, including the role of cytokines and hepatocyte apoptosis. For the first time, there are exciting possibilities for specific therapies for this challenging and serious condition.