Evaluating Biliary Complications in Jaundiced Patients with Alcohol-Related Hepatitis: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: This study aims to differentiate whether jaundice in patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is due to alcohol-related liver disease or underlying biliary pathology, including choledocholithiasis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cholangitis, benign strictures, cholangiocarcinoma, or pancreatic cancer. Accurate differentiation is crucial for appropriate treatment decisions. Methods: A non-interventional retrospective study examined patients admitted to our institute for presumed alcohol-related hepatitis management from 2016 to 2023. The primary outcome was the occurrence of biliary processes, whether benign or malignant, in patients managed for alcohol-related hepatitis within 90 days. Secondary outcomes assessed bilirubin level trends over seven days to evaluate steroid effects on alcohol-related hepatitis and predict underlying biliary processes. Variables were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression with biliary process as the dependent variable. Results: Our study revealed that patients with alcohol-related hepatitis and jaundice who had dilated common bile duct (CBD) or pancreatic duct (PD) on cross-sectional imaging were more likely to have biliary processes regardless of cholecystectomy history p-value 0.007 (CI 0.03-0.242) OR 7.5 and p-value 0.001 (CI 0.58-1.34), OR 1.2 respectively. However, there was no correlation between biliary process incidence and various demographic or clinical factors. Conclusion: Cross-sectional imaging should be routinely used to evaluate biliary tree conditions in alcohol-related hepatitis patients with jaundice who have dilated CBD, particularly those with previous cholecystectomy or gallstones on imaging studies. This systematic approach enables early identification of underlying biliary issues and facilitates prompt, appropriate management decisions.