Rising alcohol-associated liver disease–related mortality rates in the United States from 1999 to 2022

Abstract

We examined trends in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD)–related mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2022, focusing on sex, racial differences, and specific age groups. We analyzed age-adjusted mortality rates for ALD-related deaths using the CDC WONDER database and assessed differences between sex and racial groups. ALD-related mortality rates increased significantly between 1999 and 2022, with a more pronounced increase in females. White, Asian, Pacific Islander (AAPI), and American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) groups showed significant uptrends in ALD-related mortality, while African Americans (AA) experienced a nonsignificant decline. Age-specific trends revealed substantial increases in crude mortality rates across various age groups, with the largest increase observed in the younger age groups of 25–34 years, with an average percent change of 11.12% from 2006 to 2022 (average annual percent change of 7.1% for the study period), and 35–44 years, which showed an average percent change of 17.2% from 2018 to 2022 (average annual percent change of 3.8% for the study period). This study reveals increased ALD-related mortality rates in the United States from 1999 to 2022, with disparities among sex, racial groups, and younger age groups. Continued monitoring and evidence-based interventions are needed to address the growing burden of ALD-related mortality, particularly in the younger population.

Global and regional burden of alcohol-associated liver disease and alcohol use disorder in the elderly

“…In terms of sex, multiple studies have pointed out the increasing burden of ALD and AUD to a greater extent in females than in males. [34] , [35] , [36] In contrast, some studies found that the burden of ALD and AUD were lower in women, possibly owing to substantially lower levels of alcohol consumption. [37] , [38] , [39] The differences could be attributed to variations in the population of the studies, with some mainly involving younger adults or overall populations, whereas this study focused on the elderly.…”

Mortality related to HCV and other chronic liver diseases in Veneto (Italy), 2008–2021: Changes in trends and age‐period‐cohort effects

“…7 Conversely, mortality related to alcoholic liver diseases was already on the rise before the pandemic, 7 and this increase became even more pronounced in 2020-2021. 8,20,26,27 This may be attributed to increased alcohol consumption, social isolation, and disruptions in healthcare. The data from Northeastern Italy presented here are the first outside of the US to assess the impact of DAA therapy on mortality at the population level.…”

Effectiveness of 1-year pemafibrate treatment on steatotic liver disease: the influence of alcohol consumption

“…Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) presents with different phenotypes ranging from steatosis to the development of steatohepatitis, and in some cases, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. ALD accounts for a significant portion of adult morbidity and mortality statistics [5]. Currently, there are no approved targeted therapies able to halt the progression of the disease, therefore alcohol cessation remains the first-line treatment in all stages of ALD [6].…”