Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Chronic consumption of alcohol can cause a spectrum of liver abnormalities, ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Alcoholic liver disease is still the most common cause of liver cirrhosis in the Western world. This Review focuses on the current management of patients with alcoholic liver disease, with emphasis on alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis.
The main physiologic function of albumin is to maintain colloid osmotic pressure. The recognition of many other physiologic functions, however, means that the clinical application of albumin has expanded. This Review discusses the physiologic actions of albumin, the clinical settings in which albumin has been used in patients with cirrhosis, and the potential benefits and pitfalls associated with the use of albumin.
