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Liver Cancer, Hepatitis Mortality Rates Climbed in US in Past 30 Years
Liver cancer and liver disease mortality rates have increased over the last 3 decades in the United States.
Researchers analyzed population-based mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System and data related to the hepatitis B and C viruses, obesity prevalence and liver cancer from the CDC between 1981 and 2010.
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis accounted for 1.1% of almost 61.7 million deaths in adults aged 45 years and older in the United States; 0.5% of deaths were attributable to liver cancer. The crude death rate doubled for liver cancer between 1981 and 2010, from eight deaths per 100,000 people to 16.3 deaths per 100,000 people. The crude death rate for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis decreased from 34.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 1981 to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2010. Additionally, the crude death rate for alcoholic liver disease also decreased from 1981 to 2002-2003, from 13.5 deaths per 100,000 people to 9.7 deaths per 100,000 people. However, the crude death rate for viral hepatitis increased during the study period, from 0.8 deaths per 100,000 people to 5.9 deaths per 100,000 people.
Source: Kim Y.
A comprehensive approach that involves both primary and secondary prevention, increased access to treatment and more funding for liver-related research, is needed if we hope to address the high death rates associated with chronic liver disease and liver cancer in the United States.