TITLE:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease in Ghana: The St Joseph Hospital, Koforidua in Focus
AUTHORS:
Ahmed Danquah, Obed Asirifi Kankam, Kadir Abdul Daniyalo
KEYWORDS:
Alcohol Use Disorder, Liver Disease, Guidelines, Diagnosis, Treatment/Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.10 No.7,
July
19,
2023
ABSTRACT: There is not enough literature on diagnosis and management of alcohol use disorder and alcohol-associated liver diseases in Ghana. This study aimed at reviewing the diagnosis and management of Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-associated Liver Diseases in accordance with the 2019 Practice Guidance from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines short version draft (2017). The study was conducted at the St Joseph Hospital, Koforidua. Over a two-year period (January 2020 - December 2021), twenty-one patients diagnosed and managed for alcohol use and alcohol-associated liver diseases were retrieved for review. Five out of the twenty-one folders were finally reviewed after meeting the inclusion criteria. All patients were males and aged between 39 and 68 years. Results indicated that the diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-associated Liver Diseases remains a challenge in the Ghanaian setting. There is a poor treatment/management protocol for alcohol-associated liver diseases due to clinician factors like the non-involvement of a multidisciplinary team of experts and the unavailability of diagnostic investigations. Larger clinical studies should be encouraged to develop locally based diagnostic and treatment/management protocols for Ghana. Clinicians must also develop the habit of involving a multidisciplinary team of experts in the management of alcohol-associated liver diseases.