Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the association between PNPLA3 polymorphism and post-liver transplantation (LT) outcomes related to alcohol relapse (AR).
Method: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients receiving LT for alcoholic liver disease (ALD) from 04/2014 to 12/2017. Liver-related clinical outcomes were assessed by the gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) level and alcohol-related liver failure (ARLF). Genotyping was performed using prospectively collected DNA samples in both donors and recipients.
Results: A total of 83 recipients were enrolled. Post-LT AR occurred in 31 patients (37.3%). Thirty-one patients (14 AR, 9 abstainers) showed elevated GGT levels, and 3 AR patients experienced ARLF. In the multivariate analysis, rs738409 G allele carrier and heavy drinking (HRAR score ≥ 4) were independent risk factors for elevated GGT levels (odds ratio [OR] = 8.69, P < .01; OR = 13.07, P = .01) and ARLF (OR = 4.52, P = .04; OR = 19.62, P = .03). Among 15 heavy AR patients, being an rs738409 G allele carrier was related to GGT elevation (P = .03) and ARLF (P = .04), but it was not related to GGT elevation in mild drinkers (n = 16) or abstainers (n = 52).
Conclusion: PNPLA3 polymorphism of the recipient genotype can independently affect the post-LT prognosis of LT patients for ALD, especially in heavy AR patients. Therefore, strong abstinence education is recommended in patients with this single nucleotide polymorphism.
Keywords: alcohol recidivism; alcoholic liver disease; liver transplantation.
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