Alcoholic Liver Diseases in Portugal. Clinical and Laboratory Picture, Mortality, and Survival

Abstract

Six main types of histopathological changes were found in 463 patients with chronic alcoholism admitted during 1966-1975; group 1, normal liver in 2.6%; group 2, fatty liver in 8.4%; group 3, acute alcoholic hepatitis (AAH) in 7.6%; group 4, cirrhosis with or without steatosis in 68.7%; group 4, cirrhosis with AAH in 12.8%; group 6, liver cell carcinoma (LCC) in 1.9% (all of the latter patients were also included in group 4). Patients were: males, 73% and females, 27%; females tended to be older than males. Cirrhosis was found in 68% of the group between 21-30 yr and in 85% between 51-60 yr. Normal histology or steatosis was less frequent at > 50 yr. Ascites and jaundice were more frequent in patients with AAH than in patients with steatosis. The majority of patients had SGOT [serum aspartate transaminase] under 100 karmen U/ml; SGPT [serum alanine transaminase] was normal in 80% of patients with cirrhosis and > 100 karmen U/ml in 10%. SGPT was higher than SGOT in 11.9% of the patients. Mortality was 46.7% according to the followup until 1978. Survival was 38.4% at the end of the 1st yr and decreased slowly afterwards to 32.8% in males and 11.5% in females after 5 yr.