Southampton trials new app for alcohol-related liver disease
Southampton researchers are trialling a new app to help people with alcohol related liver disease (ArLD).
ArLD is where your liver is damaged by drinking too much alcohol. There are currently no effective drug treatments for the disease.
The trial is being run by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit (CTU). It is now open to patients at University Hospital Southampton (UHS).
A need for new treatments
Alcohol-related harm places a huge burden on healthcare. It costs the NHS around £3.5 billion a year and Alcohol Care Teams are under pressure due to rising patient numbers.
Dr Gautam Mehta, Associate Professor at University College London, is leading the AlcoChange study.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly exacerbated the healthcare impacts of alcohol-related harm,” says Dr Mehta.
“Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease have increased by 20%. This is partly due to an increase in alcohol consumption in hazardous drinkers. It is also due to reduced availability of outpatient clinics and alcohol services with Covid-19.
“Digital therapeutics are an important tool to remotely deliver monitoring and interventions to address this sharp upturn in morbidity and mortality.”
Providing support and motivation
AlcoChange, developed by CyberLiver Limited, consists of a smartphone app and personal breathalyser.
The new trial is expanding on a previous pilot study. It will look at whether providing 24/7 support and motivation through an app can help ArLD patients.
The app allows users to log cravings and times of alcohol use or abstinence. It uses behavioural interventions such as showing users a picture of a loved one when they are experiencing a craving for alcohol. It can also connect them to a named friend, family member or helpline for emotional support.
“Behaviour change interventions (BCIs) have been shown to be effective tools for reducing alcohol consumption,” says Dr Andrew Cook, Consultant in Public Health and Associate Director at the Southampton CTU.
“However, most people who drink to harmful levels are unable to access these kinds of face-to-face interventions. Using a smartphone application is an effective way to remotely deliver these. Similar approaches have been shown to provide significant benefits as part of stop smoking services in the UK.
“We hope that the AlcoChange device can provide much needed support and benefits to people with alcohol-related liver disease.”
Opening of trial
The trial will recruit 400 participants at 18 hospital sites across the UK. The first 11 sites are now open to recruitment, including UHS.
Participants will be randomly allocated into one of two trial arms. One half will use the app, while those in the other arm will receive standard ArLD treatment. This will allow the researchers to compare the effect of the app on alcohol use.
Professor Rajiv Jalan, Professor of Hepatology at UCL, is a co-founder of CyberLiver Limited and one of the inventors of AlcoChange.
“It is wonderful to see the start of the pivotal trial of AlcoChange” says Prof Jalan.
“This is the first digital therapeutic strategy that is aimed at patients with alcohol-related liver disease. It has the potential to reduce the morbidity and mortality of these patients and impact on reducing the healthcare-cost burden on the NHS.”
The research is funded by a National Institute for Health and Care Research i4i grant and sponsored by the University of Southampton.