Approved Research

Novel analytical approaches to determine genetic risk for key determinants of Alcoholic Hepatitis (AH)

Lay summary

In this study, our goal is to identify genes that may be altered in patients with alcoholic hepatitis (a severe form of liver injury) as compared to heavy drinking controls. Though alcohol consumption is very common across the globe only a number of patients develop alcohol related liver disease. Why certain patients are most at risk than others remain unknown. We propose that there are certain genetic factors that cause patients to develop both alcohol abuse and alcohol related liver disease Using existing genetic data that has been collected will allow us to evaluate differences in the genes between those groups and identify potential genetic targets. Patients with AH have a high mortality rate within 90 days of diagnosis. It is unknown why some patients with AH are able to survive while others do not, even when their clinical condition is similar. In this study we will also evaluate genetic factors that are correlated to poor survival or alternatively correlated to those who survive.