HIGH WAITING LIST MORTALITY AMONG LIVER TRANSPLANT CANDIDATES WITH ALCOHOL-RELATED LIVER DISEASE: A 10-YEAR COHORT FROM A BRAZILIAN TERTIARY CENTER

Introduction and Objectives

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of cirrhosis-related mortality and a common indication for liver transplantation. This study aimed to assess the impact and characteristics of ALD in liver transplant candidates at a tertiary center in Brazil.

Patients and Methods

This retrospective study included the medical records of patients listed for liver transplantation between 2009 and 2019 at a tertiary hospital. We evaluated the proportion of ALD as an indication, clinical and epidemiological profiles, waiting list mortality, and patterns of alcohol consumption and abstinence in patients with ALD.

Results

Among the 583 patients, 243 (41.7%) had ALD. This etiology was the most frequent among both non-transplanted (45.5%) and transplanted (38.4%) patients. In the transplanted group, ALD patients were predominantly male and smokers (p<0.001). The overall waiting list mortality rate was 70.2%, with ALD accounting for 43% of the deaths. Among the 118 transplanted patients with an alcohol-related component, data on alcohol consumption were available for 92. The mean daily alcohol intake was 133.1 g, with a mean abstinence duration of 4.9 years before transplantation.

Conclusions

ALD was the most frequent indication for liver transplantation in this cohort and was associated with high mortality on the waiting list. These findings highlight the need for the early identification and management of patients with harmful alcohol use.

Conflict of interest: None