Alcohol, Liver Health and Hepatitis C

Greetings everyone, today we look at research on the topic of alcohol consumption and hepatitis C.

Starting off the new year eating better, maybe even exercising more is all good for the liver, but if you have HCV the best thing you can do is step away from alcohol.

Still, you may ask yourself - Hey, but what if I'm cured and I have no liver damage? Only you can decide if drinking a glass of wine, beer or other alcoholic beverage is justified or not, but before you celebrate make sure you understand what the recommended daily intake of alcohol is for healthy men and women. For people with HCV or liver damage - its pretty much zero.

To learn more check out the Blog of Dr. Joseph S. Galati. The good doctor has kicked off his yearly series; 31 Days of Wellness, offering us a new topic each day on how to improve our overall health. The most recent video in his program is all about alcohol; including strategies to help people cut back, along with a breakdown of alcohol content in beer, wine and other types of alcohol.



Alcohol Intake Increases Risk for HCC in Patients With HCV-Related Cirrhosis
According to a 2016 prospective study published in the Journal of Hepatology drinking even low levels of alcohol is connected with increase risk for liver cancer in people with HCV related cirrhosis;

Whether alcohol intake increases the risk of complications in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis remains unclear. In this prospective study, light-to-moderate alcohol intake was associated with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in multivariate analysis. No patients who did not use alcohol and who reached viral eradication developed hepatocellular carcinoma during follow-up. The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma increased with alcohol intake or in patients without viral eradication and was highest when alcohol intake was present in the absence of viral eradication. Patients with HCV-related cirrhosis should be strongly advised against any alcohol intake. Patient care should include measures to ensure abstinence.

Read a nice summary of the article over at Healio.

An older 2015 review article published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis investigated the effect of both alcohol abuse and HCV on the progression of liver disease and rate of death, here is an excerpt;

Numerous studies have demonstrated the synergistic effect of alcohol and HCV on the progression of liver disease. Patients with liver disease from both HCV and alcohol abuse have a worse prognosis, compared to patients who present with only one disease. Those who have HCV and abuse alcohol show an increased rate of fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),^[6–9] and have a higher rate of early death, compared to patients with HCV who do not abuse alcohol.^[10] Patients with alcohol-related admissions who have HCV have been shown to have a 24% longer length of stay and are twice as likely to die during the hospitalization.^[11] A study by Kim et al.^[12] also concluded that the risk of death in HCV patients who also abuse alcohol increases by 40%. Patients with cirrhosis from both aetiologies are more likely to be hospitalized than patients with cirrhosis due to alcohol alone.^[13] Although there have been numerous studies evaluating the impact of alcohol on HCV, there are few studies on the effect of HCV on patients admitted with alcoholic hepatitis.

Read the full text article over at Medscape, free registration is required.

The Bottom Line

On average not everyone who drinks heavily is addicted to alcohol or an alcoholic. However for people with hepatitis C abusing alcohol speeds up the development of liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and as cited in this post; drinking even small amounts of alcohol increases the risk for liver cancer in individuals with HCV related cirrhosis.

Until next time.

Tina