A 62-year-old male attends the emergency room with jaundice and abdominal swelling. He admits to drinking in excess of 60 g alcohol/day over the last 2-3 months. His abdominal swelling and jaundice have only been noted in the last 2 weeks. His salient blood work shows a bilirubin of 10 mg/dl (171 µmol/L); his AST: ALT ratio is 3:1. His albumin 26 g/L, and his creatinine is 2.0 mg/dl (177 µmol/L); INR 1.7. Ultrasound shows a large, fatty liver. His chest X-ray shows some patchy consolidation in the right lung fields.

The most correct statement for this patient’s clinical scenario is: