Understanding alcohol-related liver disease patients’ illness beliefs and views about their medicine.

Alcohol is believed to be a factor in 80% of cases of liver cirrhosis in the UK and carries a poorer prognosis than other causes (McCarron & Welter 2012, Thompson et al 2008). Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) also makes a major contribution to a rise in hospital admissions and mortality rate (Neame & Hammond 2005). As a chronic condition, patients with ALD are often required to take diuretics and laxatives for the rest of their lives. These medications require constant monitoring and titrating of effect, carrying substantial side effects while often their intended effect may not be readily apparent. 30 – 50% of all patients do not take their treatment as prescribed, leading to a significantly increased risk of morbidity and mortality (Horne et al 1999), and there is every reason to suspect that people with ALD are no exception