Trends in the Epidemiological Aspects and Mortality of Alcoholic Liver Disease in Korea in the Decade Between 2000 and 2009

Abstract

BackgroundAlcohol consumption and related alcohol liver disease (ALD) have substantially increased in Korea during the last decade. The objective of this study was to evaluate the trends in the epidemiological aspects and mortality rate (MR) of Korea in the decade between 2000 and 2009.MethodsThe raw data analyzed in this study were obtained from the website of “the ALD” managed by Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Korea Public Health Association (KPHA), and statistics website of Statistics Korea. The data analyses were performed using Excel 2007 statistical software (Microsoft Corp., USA).ResultsThe amount of alcohol-consumption-per-capita-per-year (ACCY) in Korea was 8.38 L in 2000 and 8.54 L in 2009. The most taken alcoholic beverage was soju, followed by beer. There were a total of 1,403 case-fatalities (CF) with an MR of 2.98 per 100,000 populations of ALD in 2000, while a total of 3,588 CF with an MR of 7.21 in 2009 (P < 0.01). The CF and MR of ALD in males were significantly higher than those in females (P < 0.01). In over 40-year-old age groups, the CF and MR were significantly increased (P < 0.01). Moreover, occupational classification revealed that the mistress/students/jobless (MSJ) were the most risky group. The comparison of overall CF and MR of ALD by six key classifications (International Classification of Diseases (ICD)) showed that alcoholic cirrhosis (229 CF and 16.3%) in 2000 tended to be increased in 2009 (2,803 CF and 78.1%), while alcoholic fibrosis and sclerosis (607 CF and 43.3%) in 2000 significantly decreased in 2009 (120 CF and 3.3%), respectively.ConclusionALD is one of the most severe diseases in Korea, as indicated by its high CF and MR in this study. As over-consumption of alcoholic beverages is relatively common in Korea, more efforts should be made toward prevention of ALD by raising awareness of the risk factors of ALD by public health education.

Global prevalence, incidence, and outcomes of alcohol related liver diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The prevalence of alcoholic liver cirrhosis in cirrhosis population was increased by 43% in 7 years in the USA [ 6 ]. The number of deaths from ARLD in South Korea increased from 1403 to 3588 between 2000 and 2009 [ 7 ]. These studies suggested that the burden of ARLD is increasing gradually.…”

Alcoholic liver disease in relation to cancer incidence and mortality: Findings from a large, matched cohort study in South Korea

“…Alcohol consumption (ethanol in g/day) was defined as the frequency of alcohol consumption multiplied by the number of alcoholic drinks per day. 27 The mean alcohol consumption was computed and categorized as <5 g/day, 5–9.9 g/day, 10–19.9 g/day, 20–29.9 g/day, and ≥30 g/day. Data on other covariates were obtained from the most recent year that the data were available within the look‐back period.…”

“…Given that ALD develops as a result of long‐term alcohol consumption, we attempted to capture the longest duration of alcohol consumption by indicating its mean value during the look‐back period. Alcohol consumption (ethanol in g/day) was defined as the frequency of alcohol consumption multiplied by the number of alcoholic drinks per day 27 . The mean alcohol consumption was computed and categorized as <5 g/day, 5–9.9 g/day, 10–19.9 g/day, 20–29.9 g/day, and ≥30 g/day.…”

Chronic pancreatitis and cancer risk in a matched cohort study using national claims data in South Korea

“…Alcohol consumption per day was calculated based on the frequency of alcohol consumption multiplied by the number of alcohol drinks per day (amount of alcohol from soju using standard ethanol concentration 20% in one bottle of soju). It was categorized into four groups as 0, < 12.5, 12.5–49, or ≥ 50 ethanol in grams per day 38 . Lifetime alcohol consumption was calculated by the mean of alcohol grams per day collected from multiple health examinations during the study period between 2002 and 2018.…”