Drinking patterns in liver transplant recipients

The study's objective was to evaluate in-depth and follow comprehensively a group of patients receiving liver transplantation. The group consisted of patients with Laennec's cirrhosis and alcohol abuse or dependency. The subjects included 68 of 556 transplant patients, studied over a 7-year period. The results revealed that 13% of the study sample (9 patients) had some relapse into drinking. Only one of these was a severe relapse with an adverse outcome. Four of the most significant relapses occurred in dual diagnosis patients. The patients as a group did as well medically as a comparison group of other transplant recipients.