Alcoholic liver disease is the most frequent organ damage encountered in chronic alcoholics and the annual death rate attributed to alcohol-induced
end-stage liver disease exceeds that of car accidents. Alcoholic liver damage occurs mainly due to the toxicity of its first metabolite
acetaldehyde, and due to interactions with numerous macro- and
micronutrients. Established treatment options comprise psychotherapy aiming to achieve abstinence, nutritional
therapy, management of hepatological complications, and
liver transplantation in selected individuals. Since these therapeutic approaches are unsuccessful in many patients, pharmacological
therapies of
alcoholic liver disease are being investigated. Many drugs failed to be beneficial or have even shown toxicity. However, some agents are promising, such as
S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe),
pentoxifylline, metadoxin,
polyenylphosphatidylcholine or inhibitors of the
cytochrome P450 2E1 isoenzyme. In severely ill patients with
alcoholic hepatitis, drugs with anti-
tumor necrosis factor alpha activity are currently investigated in clinical trials. If and how far
corticosteroids are beneficial remains controversial and their use should be restricted to selected patients.
Anabolic steroids used to enhance the nutritional status may lead to serious side effects while having a marginal benefit.
Silymarin has not been proven efficacious in
alcoholic cirrhosis and clinical trials are ongoing which aim to elucidate its therapeutic value in less advanced stages of
liver disease.