Abstract
Alcoholism-associated liver disease is a potentially preventable hepatic injury. By use of 2.5 routinely ordered clinical laboratory tests, alcoholic cirrhosis was distinguishable from non-cirrhotic alcoholic liver disease in 53 male inpatients with biopsy-verified liver disease (31 diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis and 22 diagnosed with fatty liver and/or alcoholic hepatitis). Linear discriminant analysis correctly classified 77% of subjects with cirrhotic liver disease and 68% of subjects with non-cirrhotic liver disease (overall accuracy of 74%). Quadratic discriminant analysis correctly classified 94% of subjects with cirrhotic liver disease and (68% of subjects with non-cirrhotic liver disease (81% overall accuracy). These pattern recognition techniques may allow earlier clinical intervention in alcoholic patients with liver disease.