Diagnostic challenges in alcohol use disorder and alcoholic liver disease

Abstract

Alcohol use disorders represent a heterogeneous spectrum of clinical manifestations that have been defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5. Excessive alcohol intake can lead to damage of various organs, including the liver. Alcoholic liver disease includes different injuries ranging from steatosis to cirrhosis and implicates a diagnostic assessment of the liver disease and of its possible complications. There is growing interest in the possible different tools for assessing previous alcohol consumption and for establishing the severity of liver injury, especially by non-invasive methods.

Keywords: Alcohol use disorder; Alcoholic liver disease; Diagnosis; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5; Markers of previous alcohol consumption; Non-invasive fibrosis assessment; Screening tests.