Assessing Efficacy of Interleukin-1 Blockade in Patients with Alcoholic Hepatitis: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Emerging Evidence

Background and Objectives: Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a growing public health concern with its rising incidence and its contribution to nearly half of all cirrhosis-related deaths in the United States. In this systematic review, we aimed to comprehensively evaluate the current evidence and trials on the use of anti-interleukin-1 (anti-IL-1) drugs in patients with AH, assessing their efficacy and adverse events compared to routinely prescribed drugs like corticosteroids. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across five databases to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the role of anti-IL-1 agents like canakinumab and anakinra among patients diagnosed with AH. Data was extracted and pooled in the form of mean and standard deviation for continuous variables and event and total for dichotomous variables. Results: Three RCTs were included for quantitative synthesis, encompassing 307 patients. Using canakinumab, 58% of patients showed improvement in histology. Prednisolone was associated with higher 90-day survival (90% vs. 70%; hazard ratio for death = 0.34, 95% CI 0.14–0.83, p = 0.018) and transplant-free survival. Overall, a higher incidence of acute kidney injury and new-onset cardiac disorders was noted in the anti-IL-1 arm when compared to placebo. Conclusions: This study concludes the lack of efficacy of anti-IL-1 agents in causing improvement in patient outcomes when compared to standard therapies. A higher incidence of adverse events was also noted in the anti-IL-1 arm. These results emphasize the need for future clinical trials to evaluate the use of anti-IL-1 agents in AH objectively.