Intersection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Alcohol-associated Liver Disease: A Review of Emerging Trends and Implications

Abstract

PurposeThis review will provide an overview of alcohol use and alcohol associated liver disease (ALD) prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the impact of the pandemic on alcohol use and ALD. Furthermore, this review will explore strategies to mitigate the growing disease burden of AUD and ALD. MethodsA search using PubMed was performed for articles on topics related to alcohol use, ALD, and COVID-19. The literature was reviewed and pertinent sources were used for this narrative review. FindingsIn the United States (US), excessive alcohol use is the third leading cause of preventable death. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the increasing prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and ALD in the US had already constituted a public health crisis given the association between alcohol misuse, AUD, and ALD with significant medical, economic, and societal burdens. The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased alcohol consumption and downstream consequences, including increased prevalence of AUD, ALD, ALD-related hospitalization and death, and liver transplantation for ALD. ImplicationsThere is a critical need for additional, multi-pronged interventions to mitigate the mortality and morbidity linked to ALD.