Portal Hypertension in Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review article will examine portal hypertension in alcoholic hepatitis (AH) from both a basic mechanistic and a clinical perspective.Recent FindingsAlcoholic hepatitis is a major public health problem in the USA, accounting for over 300,000 hospital admissions in a recent year of data (Jinjuvadia et al. J Clin Gastroenterol.  60;49:506 –511). Portal hypertension is a key consequence of AH and a driver of liver-related morbidity and mortality. Alcohol may directly mediate portal hypertension via multiple possible mechanisms, including increased portal inflow, increased intrahepatic vasoconstriction, inflammation, and changes in t he liver vasculature such as perisinusoidal fibrosis and phlebosclerosis.SummaryPortal hypertension is a key consequence of AH and a critical area for future research.
Source: Current Hepatitis Reports - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research