Alcohol-related liver disease deaths double in two decades
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The U.S. death rate from alcohol-related liver disease roughly doubled over two decades and was exacerbated by the pandemic, with women, young adults and Indigenous people experiencing the sharpest rise, a study in JAMA Network Open found.
Why it matters: The increase continued past the acute phase of the pandemic, suggesting lasting changes in alcohol consumption patterns when deaths from other liver diseases like hepatitis C were falling, researchers wrote.
- The patterns demonstrate the need for targeted prevention and treatment strategies, including enhanced screening and alcohol cessation programs.
What they found: The study of 436,814 alcohol-associated liver disease deaths between 1999 and 2022 showed mortality rates surged an annual average of 9% from 2018 to 2022, when pandemic-related stressors such as financial insecurity and social isolation led to increased drinking.
- Overall, the death rate increased from 6.7 to 12.5 deaths per 100,000 population between 1999 and 2022.
- The annual percentage increase was higher among women (4.3%) than men (2.5%). It also rose about 4.2% among young people ages 25-44.
Between the lines: American Indian and Alaska Native communities faced the highest death rates, rising from about 25 to nearly 47 per 100,000 over the study period.
- White individuals saw a steady increase in death rates, going from 6.6 to 13.8 deaths per 100,000, or about 3.6% per year.
- Deaths among Black individuals initially fell during the study period, but spiked sharply starting in 2019, rising about 21% per year through 2022.
