The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)

Life expectancy risks soar for liver disease patients

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Patients with alcoholrel­ated liver disease (ALD) tend to have worse outcomes than others after a stay in intensive care, according to research.

A study has found that two-thirds of people with ALD who were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) survived for less than a year afterwards.

Experts said the findings highlight the need for increased support for ALD patients after they leave hospital.

A team at the Edinburgh University looked at the anonymised records of more than 8,000 ICU admissions in Scotland over a six-year period.

They concluded that patients with ALD were 31% more likely to die in the five years following a stay in intensive care, compared with those with severe heart, lung or kidney disease and other patients of a similar age and background.

ALD survivors were also more likely to undergo an emergency admission to hospital within five years after their time in ICU, compared with people with other conditions, researcher­s found.

Almost half of those emergency visits were linked to alcohol or liver problems, which highlights the long-term issues faced by patients living with addiction, the research team added.

Dr Nazir Lone, senior clinical lecturer in critical care at the Edinburgh University, who led the study, said: “Alcohol-related liver disease is often associated with stigma in society.

“Our findings underline the need for better community services for alcohol addiction and management of longterm conditions,” he said.

The study, which was funded by the chief scientist office in Scotland, is published in the current edition of Critical Care Medicine.

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