Optimized Remission in Alcohol-related Liver Cirrhosis

The incidence of liver cirrhosis is increased fivefold for men and tripled for women in the last forty years. The clinical course of liver cirrhosis includes complications of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, variceal bleeding, kidney dysfunction, and infections that markedly worsen prognosis. These complications are driven by the development of portal hypertension in the liver. This progression to the 'decompensated' stage is considered a hallmark in the disease course, as the decompensation is associated with a markedly increased risk of further complications and death. Increasing evidence indicate that active measures of treatment of the underlying cause of liver disease and removal of the toxic agents causing cirrhosis may slow disease progression or even induce regression of cirrhosis. This concept is described as hepatic recompensation. There is a need for clinical studies invest