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Pandemic linked to rise in alcoholic hepatitis and liver failure
Author(s) -
Knopf Alison
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
alcoholism and drug abuse weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7591
pISSN - 1042-1394
DOI - 10.1002/adaw.32988
Subject(s) - pandemic , alcoholic hepatitis , alcoholic liver disease , medicine , liver disease , disease , covid-19 , hepatitis , hepatitis c , environmental health , pediatrics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , cirrhosis
A report from Kaiser Health News (KHN) last month found that while the pandemic has led to relapse for “thousands of recovering alcoholics,” hospitals across the nation have reported steep increases in admissions for alcohol‐related diseases like alcoholic hepatitis and liver failure. These are critical diseases. Even before the pandemic, liver disease related to alcoholism was increasing, with hospitalizations doubling over the past 10 years. National figures were not available, according to KHN, for alcohol liver disease admissions during the epidemic. But at Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California, these admissions were up 30% in 2020 compared with 2019. This condition is often best treated by difficult‐to‐obtain transplants.