Alcohol: a new remedy for cirrhosis of the liver

Human albumin solutions are not a medicine but a cure. They are prepared from a mixture of blood, plasma, serum or placental tissue collected from healthy donors. Evidence for the efficacy of long-term administration of human albumin in patients with cirrhosis is scarce.

40 g per week

To overcome this state of affairs, researchers followed 431 patients with cirrhosis from April 2, 2011 to May 27, 2015.

A first group received standard medical treatment, while a second group received standard medical treatment cumulative with the administration of human albumin (40 g twice a week for 2 weeks, then 40 g per week). Both treatments lasted 18 months.

Results: overall survival at 18 months was significantly higher in the group having combined standard medical treatment with the administration of human albumin. These patients were 38% less likely to die than those who had only received standard medical treatment.

Side effects

“The patients in the first group presented grade 3-4 non-hepatic adverse effects”, the team specifies, before concluding that “long-term administration of human albumin prolongs overall survival and could act as a modifying treatment. of the disease in patients with decompensated cirrhosis “.

Cirrhosis of the liver, a disease that is little talked about

Cirrhosis of the liver is a disease that is little talked about, but which is common in France. About 700,000 people have cirrhosis, of which 30% have reached the severe stage of the disease. It is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 deaths are associated with it each year. The diagnosis occurs on average at the age of 50 years.

The risk factors for cirrhosis are well identified. Excessive and prolonged alcohol consumption, chronic infections with the hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C, as well as the metabolic syndrome are in fact responsible for more than 90% of cases. The other cases are linked to genetic hemochromatosis or even autoimmune liver diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis.