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Addiction Science & Clinical Practice
Published in: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Review

Systematic review of the pharmacological treatment of alcohol use disorders in individuals infected with hepatitis C

Authors: Alexis Thibault, Suzanne Brissette, Didier Jutras-Aswad

Published in: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Treating alcohol use disorders (AUD) is critical in individuals suffering from hepatitis C infection (HCV). Aside from psychosocial interventions, pharmacological treatment is effective for decreasing alcohol consumption and promoting abstinence. However, unique factors belonging to HCV-infected individuals, such as baseline hepatic vulnerability and possible ongoing hepatitis C treatment, complicate AUD drug therapy. The goal of this review is to systematically identify, summarize, and evaluate the existing evidence on the pharmacological management of AUD in HCV-infected individuals. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for English- and French-language articles published from 1993 to December 2013. The search criteria focused on clinical trials and observational studies assessing the efficacy and/or safety of pharmacological management of AUD in patients infected with HCV. Of 421 identified studies, three were included for analysis. Two were observational studies assessing the safety of disulfiram. One was a randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy and safety of baclofen. There is paucity of data regarding the efficacy and safety of pharmacological treatment of AUD in HCV-infected individuals, with studies being small series and showing significant heterogeneity. No strong recommendations can be made based on the current studies as to which pharmacological option should be preferred in this sub-population.
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Metadata
Title
Systematic review of the pharmacological treatment of alcohol use disorders in individuals infected with hepatitis C
Authors
Alexis Thibault
Suzanne Brissette
Didier Jutras-Aswad
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1940-0640
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-015-0029-2

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