Acute Liver Failure Study Group recruits 3,000th participant

The Acute Liver Failure Study Group recruited its 3,000th participant in its ongoing multicenter study on acute liver failure, funded by the NIH, according to a press release from the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

The ongoing study is active at 12 sites in the U.S. and Canada. The primary goal of the study is to identify the characteristics of ALF and determine optimal treatments regimens. Additionally, the group aims to understand how acetaminophen poisoning became the No. 1 cause of ALF in the U.S., according to the release.

“ALF is extremely rare, with only about 2,000 cases in the U.S. each year,” William M. Lee, MD, professor of internal medicine at the UT Southwestern Medical Center, said in the release. “Because of its rarity, many physicians aren’t that familiar with this rapidly progressive and fatal liver disease and may not recognize it quickly.”

Lee began the research effort in 1997 after receiving an initial grant from the NIH. The institute has since funded the study and plans to continue support through 2020, according to the release.

Results of the study led to a free iPhone app for physicians that includes guidelines for diagnosing and treating ALF, released in 2014, and a free app for assessing prognosis, released in 2016. Current efforts of the study include evaluating a test developed at the University of Arkansas to rapidly detect toxic byproducts of acetaminophen poisoning for quick identification of overdose. The test could be available in 2 to 3 years if proven effective.

Reference: www.utsouthwestern.edu