Researchers say that deaths from liver disease have been on the rise in the United States, and drinking could be to blame.
Data procured from the research team found that adults age 25-34 experienced the highest average annual increase in cirrhosis deaths, which was about 10.5 percent each year. The report notes that mortality rates in this age group were “driven entirely by alcohol related liver disease.”
Tapper said the liver deaths draw parallels to overdose deaths from the opioid epidemic. He said in both cases the people are trying to escape, or relieve their emotional pain. But he also cautioned that since they conducted an observational study, they cannot prove the cause and effect.
The authors also say that mortality rates first started increasing in 2009, around the same time as the Great Recession, which led to many citizens losing their savings and possibly turning to alcohol as a result.
“We suspect that there is a connection between increased alcohol use and unemployment associated with the global financial crisis. But more research is needed,” Tapper said.
Study co-author Neehar Parikh said while long-term survival from liver cancer is possible, other factors such as a lack of early detection and few treatment options for when the cancer gets too advanced complicate the issue.
“The rapid rise in liver deaths underscores gaps in care and opportunities for prevention,” Parikh said.
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