Clinical features of alcoholic liver disease: a clinical analysis of 206 cases

Objective To investigate the clinical features of alcoholic liver disease, and to provide a theoretical basis for the development of control strategy for this disease. Methods The clinical data of 206 patients with alcoholic liver disease who were admitted to The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2011 to December 2016 were collected. The different types of alcoholic liver disease were analyzed, as well as the proportion of patients with alcoholic liver disease among all patients with liver diseases and its change trend from 2011 to 2016. The age distribution characteristics of patients with different types of alcoholic liver disease were analyzed, and the types of alcoholic liver disease in 2011-2013 were compared with those in 2014-2016. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results The patients with alcoholic cirrhosis accounted for 69. 90% ( 144/206) , followed by those with alcoholic hepatitis ( 19. 42%) . The proportion of patients with alcoholic liver disease among all patients with liver diseases gradually increased from 2011 to 2016. Of all patients with alcoholic liver disease, the patients aged 40-60 years accounted for 66. 99% ( 138/206) . Patients aged 40-60 years had the highest incidence rate of alcoholic fatty liver disease, and those aged > 60 years had a significantly lower incidence rate than the other patients ( χ2= 8. 16, P = 0. 01) . Of all the patients aged 40-60 years, 18. 84% ( 26/138) had alcoholic hepatitis, 68. 84% ( 95/138) had alcoholic cirrhosis, and 5. 07% ( 7/138) had alcoholic acute-on-chronic liver failure. Among the patients with alcoholic liver disease who were admitted from 2014 to 2016, 73. 20% had alcoholic cirrhosis, which was significantly higher than the proportion of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis ( 60. 38%) from 2011 to 2013 ( χ2= 9. 24, P < 0. 05) . Conclusion Alcoholic liver disease is commonly seen in patients aged40-60 years. Early diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease should be enhanced in clinical practice to delay or reverse liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.