Why More Liver Transplants Are For Patients With Liver Disease – Quartz

The share of total liver transplants for people with alcohol-related health problems is on the rise in America – but do not blame him for the bottle.

In 2002, alcohol-related liver disease accounted for about one-quarter of all liver transplants in the United States. In 2016, the disease accounted for 37% of total liver transplants. And new research shows that the increase in the share of alcohol-related diseases is largely due to the fact that for many years the medical community has adopted and used an unscientific policy that has stifled the number of people who can pretend to training. new liver.

As detailed in a new study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, the scientific community has been debating for decades whether people with alcoholic liver disease should remain sober for at least six months before being considered for a cure. graft. In 1997, this debate came to an end when the US surgeon general published an article in which he said so much.

The idea seemed pretty simple: if a person was able to stay sober for six months, it would reduce his chances of falling back into dependency and damaging his new organ. The idea, however, has not been supported by real science. This means that many people who could have benefited from a transplant have never been able to do so.

The opinion of physicians began to change in 2010 and 2011, when scientific articles from Pittsburgh and France showed little evidence that a mandatory six-month abstinence threshold before a transplant made all the difference. share create a feeling need help to get started. Policy changes have followed in some areas of the United States, but not in all. Without a national policy, a more holistic change in approach will take time, forcing doctors across the country to change attitudes when they wish.

Nevertheless, the overall share of liver transplants for alcohol problems has increased, largely due to changes in perception. This number is also reinforced by advances in medicine in the treatment of hepatitis C, which was once the main reason why transplants were requested. Doctors can now treat this disease with medication.

This is good news for more than 17,000 Americans waiting for a new liver, a number of which are probably for alcohol-related reasons.