Alcohol-related liver disease.

Alcohol is one of the three leading causes of liver disease in the developed world. Patients with alcohol-related liver disease are often cared for in general wards and hospitals, rather than specialist centres. This may be a result of the number of patients being admitted or a lack of referral to specialist services by healthcare professionals. The financial cost of caring for patients with alcohol-related injuries is continuing to rise. This article explores the mechanisms of liver injury caused by alcohol; the risk factors associated with alcohol-related liver disease; assessment tools used to identify patients with alcohol use disorders; withdrawal from alcohol; chronic liver disease; and issues surrounding transplantation. The importance of the nursing role in assessing and monitoring patients undergoing withdrawal from alcohol, information giving and advice on the prevention of alcohol-related liver injury, and supporting patients with alcohol-related liver injury is highlighted.