DIAGNOSTIC-CRITERIA FOR ALCOHOLIC LIVER-DISEASE

New diagnostic criteria for alcoholic liver disease have been proposed. By these criteria, the etiological diagnosis of liver disease in alcoholics is classified into three groups: alcohol alone; combination of alcohol and virus; and others which may be caused by virus alone. In the alcohol alone group, virus markers were negative and serum ALT and AST levels decreased to less than 80 units during the first 4 weeks of abstinence. In patients whose ALT and AST levels were less than 100 units before abstinence, their levels decreased to less than 50 units. Serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) levels during the first 4 weeks of abstinence also decreased either to less than 1.5 times their normal values or to less than 40% of their initial levels. In the combination group of alcohol and virus, virus markers were positive. Serum ALT and AST levels decreased to less than 120 units during abstinence with the same decrease in GGT levels as seen in the alcohol alone group. Patients who did not exhibit this reduction were included in the other group. These criteria are applicable to liver disease in alcoholics in Japan.