Bhubaneswar, Sep 21 (Bureau) The best way to treat Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) is to have an integrated multi-disciplinary care model in which the treating hepatologist can have the treatment counseling along with a psychiatrist, world-renowned expert on ALD Prof Ashwini Singhal said. Speaking at the KIMS Guest Lecture Series on ALD on Thursday, Prof.Singhal from the University of Alabama, Texas said the multi-disciplinary care model could cure more people.
“As ALD is a result of an addiction, the multi-disciplinary integrated approach is best suited for the cause both in the Western and Indian scenario, he said. Singhal said, vending snacks for patients suffering from ALD also helps a lot and they should have protein intake most probably from plant-based sources as per their body weight to have a better life and manage cirrhosis. He advised the patients with ALD to have more frequent meals with small amounts for better physiology and metabolism, not having heavy meals with large intervals, and proper management of obesity, metabolic syndromes, and alcohol intake so as to have control over ALD. Stating that the selection process for liver transplant (LT) in an ALD patient is a challenging world over as the medical centers differ in their approaches to finding the “suitable’’ patients to undergo LT, Prof.Singhal also underscored the need for great vigil even after the transplant process as there was every chance of alcohol intake by the patient.