Why Are So Many Young Adults Dying From Alcohol Cirrhosis?
Liver specialist Elliot Tapper, M.D., says he's witnessed shift in demographics among patients he treats. Deaths linked to the end stages of liver damage jumped by 65 percent between 1999 and 2016. Cirrhosis can be caused by a virus like hepatitis C, fatty liver disease or alcohol abuse. "Each alcohol-related death means decades of lost life, broken families and lost economic productivity," Tapper says. Liver cancer rates surged among all racial and ethnic groups except Asians and Pacific Islanders.
The study's goal was to determine trends in liver disease deaths and which groups have been impacted most. Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease are preventable, say the authors, who suggest strategies such as taxes on alcohol, minimum prices for alcohol
