Record-high rise in alcohol-related hepatitis during pandemic a cause for alarm

Cases of severe alcohol-related hepatitis requiring inpatient management has dramatically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in patients aged <40 years and in women, a study has found.

A team of investigators conducted a retrospective chart review to assess the incidence of alcohol-related hepatitis in patients presenting to three community hospitals in Fresco, California, in the US before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using electronic medical records, they extracted data on demographics, disease severity markers, and clinical course from 329 patients included in this study.

A 51-percent increase was observed in the overall incidence of alcohol-related hepatitis requiring hospitalization between 2019 and 2020 (p=0.003) and a 69-percent increase (p<0.001) following the implementation of the stay-at-home orders.

Moreover, rehospitalizations rose by 94 percent (p=0.02) in 2020 (p=0.028), and there was a 100-percent increase among patients under the age of 40 years (p=0.0028). Most notably, a trend towards an increase of 125 percent (p=0.06) was noted in female patients admitted with alcohol-related hepatitis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Given the high morbidity and mortality associated with severe alcohol-related hepatitis, these findings have far-reaching and lasting implications for our already strained healthcare system extending beyond the COVID-19 pandemic timeframe,” the investigators said. “Urgent public health interventions are needed to combat the rising misuse of alcohol and its consequences.”

Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the US.