Beyond corticosteroids: A systematic review of novel therapeutic strategies in severe alcoholic hepatitis and 90-day survival.

Abstract

Background: Severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) carries a 90-day mortality rate approaching 50%. Management includes corticosteroids, nutritional support, and early liver transplantation in selected cases. However, the mid-term impact of available therapies remains unclear. This systematic review provides a critical evaluation of treatments for SAH, specifically focusing on survival or mortality at 90 days as an essential window that captures short- and mid-term outcomes. The 90-day window is clinically significant, as it reflects the remission of systemic inflammation, early liver recovery, and minimizes confounding long-term behaviors such as alcohol relapse.

Aim: To review the effect of different treatments for SAH on survival and mortality at 90 days.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed and EMBASE (last updated March 2025) was performed without language restrictions, focusing on studies published in the last decade. Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by at least two reviewers. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2.0 and Risk-of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tools. Due to heterogeneity in study designs and interventions, a meta-analysis was not feasible. A qualitative synthesis was conducted using narrative summaries and evidence tables.

Results: Searches in the databases yielded 645 citations in PubMed and 1516 in EMBASE. Of these 2161 studies, 618 were duplicates and therefore removed. A total of eight studies were included in qualitative synthesis. Among the included publications, six were randomized control trials (RCT) and two were retrospective cohort studies. These studies evaluated 90-day mortality or survival in SAH patients treated with corticosteroids (n = 2), pentoxifylline (n = 1), anakinra plus zinc (n = 2), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (n = 1), amoxicillin-clavulanate (n = 1), fecal microbiota transplantation (n = 1) or extracorporeal liver assist device (n = 1). While most studies were conducted in Western countries, two had a global scope.

Conclusion: Steroids remain the first-line therapy for SAH despite reports of them not having any 90-day survival benefit. These results highlight the need for multicenter, biomarker-guided RCTs evaluating emerging treatments to improve mid-term survival in SAH.