Young binge drinker dies after he was refused a liver transplant

Jul 22 2009

A 22 year old British man who was refused a liver transplant has died from cirrhosis of the liver after a binge-drinking habit which began when he was age 13.

Gary Reinbach from Dagenham in east London died after being denied a life-saving liver transplant; he had been given only a few weeks to live after developing cirrhosis of the liver - he was admitted to University College Hospital London (UCL) with alcohol damage 10 weeks ago for the first time and was too ill to be sent home.

It appears that Reinbach started drinking at age 11 when his parents split up and drank heavily from the age of 13 - he was refused a liver transplant unless he could prove he had not drunk alcohol for at least six months.

His mother Madeline Hanshaw, 44, was with him when he died - he had apparently recently tried to give up drinking and had signed up with support group Alcoholics Anonymous just weeks before he was taken into hospital - his family says they feel he was not given the chance to show he could change.

However health officials decided that the strict organ donation criteria, which require an alcohol-free period of at least six months, should be adhered to.

Experts say the case highlights the dilemma doctors face because of the shortage of donated organs and the tough decisions about who is going to get the most benefit and who is going to take best care.

Legendary Irish footballer George Best who died in 2005 age 59, continued to drink after a controversial liver transplant in 2002.

Campaign group Alcohol Concern has called for more research into the way alcohol can affect young people's health and say they are especially concerned over the rise in teenage drinking which will lead to more people suffering alcohol-related illnesses at younger ages.

Alcohol Concern says statistics show that more people are developing liver disease in their 30s and, if more teenagers are drinking, people will become seriously ill at a younger age.

The British Liver Trust says the situation was difficult but criteria for liver transplants are strict - the trust has decried the availability of cheap alcohol and says it is not surprising that young people are drinking to excess.

National guidelines in Britain dictate that to qualify for a donor organ, a potential recipient must prove he has the determination to stop drinking by remaining abstinent for six months.