Scientists See Little Difference In Survival Rates Between Non-Alcoholic And Alcoholic Liver Transplants

November 25, 2009 6:56 a.m. EST

Miami, FL (AHN) - Researchers with the University of Miami School of Medicine said there is little difference in the survival rate of liver transplant patients who are sick because of alcohol use and those who have non-alcohol-related liver disease.

The researchers said in a statement that non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is on the rise in the United States, possibly because more people are becoming obese. It affects up to 5 percent of all Americans and is the major cause of cirrhosis of the liver behind hepatitis C and alcoholic liver disease.

People with the condition typically do not know they have it until the damage to the liver is irreversible, leaving transplant as their only option.

The researchers compared transplant records from 1997 to 2007 and actually saw a trend of lower survival for non-alcoholic liver disease transplant patients than in those whose drinking caused their condition. However, they said in a statement that the trend was statistically insignificant.

The study is published in the December issue of the journal Liver Transplantation.