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An Integrated Alcohol Abuse and Medical Treatment Model for Patients with Hepatitis C

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Abstract

Background

Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have high rates of alcohol consumption, which is associated with progression of fibrosis and lower response rates to HCV treatment.

Aims

This prospective cohort study examined the feasibility of a 24-week integrated alcohol and medical treatment to HCV-infected patients.

Methods

Patients were recruited from a hepatology clinic if they had an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score >4 for women and >8 for men, suggesting hazardous alcohol consumption. The integrated model included patients receiving medical care and alcohol treatment within the same clinic. Alcohol treatment consisted of 6 months of group and individual therapy from an addictions specialist and consultation from a study team psychiatrist as needed.

Results

Sixty patients were initially enrolled, and 53 patients participated in treatment. The primary endpoint was the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) alcohol composite scores, which significantly decreased by 0.105 (41.7% reduction) between 0 and 3 months (P < 0.01) and by 0.128 (50.6% reduction) between 0 and 6 months (P < 0.01) after adjusting for covariates. Alcohol abstinence was reported by 40% of patients at 3 months and 44% at 6 months. Patients who did not become alcohol abstinent had reductions in their ASI alcohol composite scores from 0.298 at baseline to 0.219 (26.8% reduction) at 6 months (P = 0.08).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that an integrated model of alcohol treatment and medical care could be successfully implemented in a hepatology clinic with significant favorable impact on alcohol use and abstinence among patients with chronic HCV.

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Acknowledgments

Integrated treatments require the support of all clinic staff. We wish to thank the medical providers of the Duke Liver Clinic, including Manal Abdelmalek, Elizabeth Goacher, Janet Jezsik, Keyur Patel, Dawn Piercy, and Hans Tillmann for their participation in the alcohol screening plan and recruitment of patients. We also thank Matthew Toth, MSW, for providing addictions treatment. The study was funded by NIH-NIAAA 1R21AA017252-01A1, “Integrated Intervention for Co-Occurring Alcohol Abuse and HCV.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Duke Global Health Institute, Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, Duke University, 2812 Erwin Rd., #403, Durham, NC, 27705, USA

    Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell & Jia Yao

  2. Duke Addictions Program and Substance Abuse Consultation Services, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Ashwin A. Patkar & Paolo Mannelli

  3. Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke School of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Susanna Naggie & Andrew J. Muir

  4. Division of Infectious Disease, Duke University/Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Susanna Naggie

  5. Department of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Lesleyjill Coward & Andrew J. Muir

  6. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Paolo Mannelli

  7. Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Patricia Bixby

Authors
  1. Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell
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  2. Ashwin A. Patkar
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Correspondence to Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell.

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Proeschold-Bell, R.J., Patkar, A.A., Naggie, S. et al. An Integrated Alcohol Abuse and Medical Treatment Model for Patients with Hepatitis C. Dig Dis Sci 57, 1083–1091 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-011-1976-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-011-1976-4

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