Survival and re-admission of patients admitted with alcoholic liver disease to a West of Scotland hospital

Abstract

Alcoholic liver disease including cirrhosis is a major health burden with huge cost to the National Health Service due to frequent hospital admissions of patients with alcoholic liver disease. The highest morbidity and mortality from alcoholic liver disease in Western Europe is in the West of Scotland. This study analyses the mortality and re-admission rates of patients admitted with alcoholic liver disease to a Glasgow hospital and compares the outcome with a Scotland wide historic control. Mortality in the study of 124 patients admitted to the hospital with alcoholic liver disease was 18% during index admission, and was 40% when including follow-up of one year after discharge. Re-admissions were high in this population. Seventy-five per cent of patients had at least one re-admission within one year, and patients spent an average of over one month in hospital during the study period. Survival rates in the Glasgow hospital were comparable to survival in the Scottish cohort. However, re-admission rates were significantly higher in the Glasgow hospital. In conclusion, patients with alcoholic liver disease requiring hospitalisation have very high mortality and frequent re-admissions.