Priority 1 from the Alcohol-related Liver Disease PSP

UNCERTAINTY: What are the most effective ways to help people with alcohol-related liver disease stop drinking? (JLA PSP Priority 1)
Overall ranking 1
JLA question ID 0044/1
Explanatory note (including examples of original survey submissions) While it is widely accepted that stopping drinking alcohol is the most important first step in treating ARLD,"there is little certainty about which treatments are available to people affected by alcohol-related liver disease that usefully (i.e. that there is a good evidence base of efficacy for) reduces alcohol consumption - and therefore ongoing disease progress.  In particular, patients hospitalised with complications of cirrhosis, who are most at risk and who benefit most from stopping drinking, are excluded from most trials. There is one trial of baclofen, but no other agents with a role in alcohol relapse prevention have any evidence base yet. Given that the STOPAH study confrmed that resuming alcohol intake was the major cause of mortality in alcoholic hepatitis there is an urgent need for such studies."
Evidence None identified
Health Research Classification System category Oral and Gastrointestinnal
Extra information provided by this PSP
Submitted by 12 patients, 10 carers, 53 professionals
PSP information
PSP unique ID 0044
PSP name Alcohol-related Liver Disease
Total number of uncertainties identified by this PSP. 45 (To see a full list of all uncertainties identified, please see the detailed spreadsheet held on the JLA website)
Date of priority setting workshop 16 September 2016