Familial predisposition to alcoholic liver disease: a case-control study.

Objectives: The variable susceptibility to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) may be genetic in origin, but clear candidate genes have not yet emerged. This study aimed to assess familial clustering of ALD using a case-control strategy.

Methods: We recruited two cohorts of heavy drinkers (>60 U/week for men or >40 U/week for women): 291 individuals with decompensated ALD (Child's grade B or C) and 208 controls with similar alcohol consumption but no evidence of liver disease.

Severity of alcohol dependence in decompensated alcoholic liver disease: comparison with heavy drinkers without liver disease and relationship to family drinking history.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare alcohol dependence severity in patients with severe alcoholic liver disease (ALD) with that in heavy drinkers without liver disease.

Methods: Short alcohol dependence data and lifetime alcohol questionnaires applied to unselected heavy alcohol drinkers (>60 units/week (M) or 40 units/week (F) for >5 years) with either (a) decompensated ALD (patients n = 136) or (b) no evidence of serious liver disease by clinical, biochemical and ultrasound evaluation ('controls' n = 148).

Results: The SADD alcohol dependence severity score (range 0-42) in patients with ALD was >28 (severe dependence) in 36 cases (26%); slightly higher than that in heavy-drinking controls taken as a whole; similar to that in controls who were seeking healthcare but higher than that in controls who were not; and lower than that in controls who attended specialist alcohol services.