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Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, Dr. Patrick Kamath, talks about a worrying trend: death due to alcohol-related liver disease is on the rise across the United States. “When a patient gets severe alcohol-related liver disease, the chance of dying within 3 months is about 50%”
Worldwide, approximately 2 million people die of liver disease each year, and 50% of those deaths can be attributed to alcohol misuse. In the United States alone, liver disease due to alcohol misuse results in 55,000 deaths every year.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), have identified certain priorities and areas for future investigation, to help reduce mortality due to alcohol related liver disease. As Dr. Kamath explains, a significant step would be decreasing the consumption of alcohol by
- Increasing the price of alcohol
- Decreasing the hours when alcohol can be sold
More details about areas of consensus and future directions for alcohol-related liver disease can be found in the Journal of Hepatology.
Meet other people, talking about alcohol-related liver disease, including cirrhosis, on Mayo Clinic Connect – join the conversation, share experiences, ask questions, and discover your support network. Here are some discussions you might like to follow...
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