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Review
. 2017 Aug 8;9(22):953-958.
doi: 10.4254/wjh.v9.i22.953.

Addictive behaviors in liver transplant recipients: The real problem?

Hélène Donnadieu-Rigole  1 , Pascal Perney  2 , José Ursic-Bedoya  3 , Stéphanie Faure  3 , Georges-Philippe Pageaux  3
Affiliations
Review

Addictive behaviors in liver transplant recipients: The real problem?

Hélène Donnadieu-Rigole et al. World J Hepatol. .

Abstract

Liver transplantation (LT) is the gold standard treatment for end-stage liver disease. Whatever the primary indication of LT, substance abuse after surgery may decrease survival rates and quality of life. Prevalence of severe alcohol relapse is between 11 and 26%, and reduces life expectancy regardless of the primary indication of LT. Many patients on waiting lists for LT are smokers and this is a major risk factor for both malignant tumors and cardiovascular events post-surgery. The aim of this review is to describe psychoactive substance consumption after LT, and to assess the impact on liver transplant recipients. This review describes data about alcohol and illicit drug use by transplant recipients and suggests guidelines for behavior management after surgery. The presence of an addiction specialist in a LT team seems to be very important.

Keywords: Behavior management; Illicit drugs; Liver transplantation; Severe alcohol relapse; Tobacco use.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare there is no conflict of interest.

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