Acute alcoholic hepatitis is a condition of inflammation of the liver caused by drinking alcohol. While acute alcoholic hepatitis in itself is a serious condition, the complications increase in obese patients. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of adiposity in patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis.
This cohort study included a total of 233 patients with alcoholic hepatitis. The effects of adiposity were analyzed using BMI, and metabolic and inflammatory profiling was taken under consideration. The researchers identified CXCL11 expression and 3 T3-derived adipocytes as the indicator of increased risk. The primary outcome of the study was incident mortality.
The findings suggested that obesity was common among patients with alcoholic hepatitis and was found in 19% of individuals. It was discovered that obesity and underweight were independently associated with the risk of mortality at 3 months (HR 2.22 for obesity and 2.38 for underweight). In obese patients, the CXCL11 levels were most elevated, indicating an increased risk of mortality. The findings also suggested that alcohol induced CXCL11 expression in the adipose tissue.
The research concluded that obesity in patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis was associated with a significantly increased risk of short-term mortality.
Ref: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(19)30191-4/fulltext
