A novel prognostic tool based on social determinants effectively predicted increased risk of alcohol use relapse in adults who underwent liver transplants for alcoholic liver disease, based on data from 140 individuals.
Alcohol relapse after liver transplant ranges from 4% to as high as 95% among patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and better tools are needed to identify those at increased risk, Jiten P. Kothadia, MD, of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, said in a presentation given in October at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.
Dr. Kothadia and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of the Social Determinant Acuity Tool (S-DAT), which stratified patients in terms of successful post-liver transplant outcomes from excellent (S-DAT scores 0-6) to poor candidates (scores 35-40). The S-DAT categories included cognitive function, mental health, social support, coping skills, financial status, compliance, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, reliability, legal issues, understanding the transplant process, and desire for transplant.
The study population included 140 adults with alcoholic liver disease who underwent a liver transplant between January 2016 and November 2021 at a single center. Before surgery, all patients underwent a thorough psychosocial evaluation using the S-DAT. The mean age of the participants was 53.4 years, 107 were male, and 67.9% had abstained from alcohol for more than 6 months prior to transplant.
