Trends in hospitalisations and liver transplants associated with alcohol-induced liver disease

According to a research letter published online on November 14 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, excessive alcohol consumption led to 1 in 5 deaths among US adults 20 to 49 years of age between 2015 and 2019. Liver transplant (LT) is the definitive treatment for decompensated alcohol-induced liver disease (AILD), which, since 2016, has become the foremost indication for LT. There is a lack of studies examining demographic factors associated with AILD or AILD-related LT. Therefore, Vrishketan Sethi, from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and colleagues examined trends in hospitalizations and LTs associated with AILD in the United States from 2005 to 2021. The patient population was stratified into younger and older groups (younger than 40 years and 40 years and older), excluding those younger than 20 years.
The study revealed notable increases in AILD-related hospitalization rates per 100,000 individuals. Among women, rates rose from 63.47 to 129.24, and among men, from 186.84 to 301.72. Younger patients experienced an increase from 33.89 to 102.27, while older patients saw rates climb from 177.93 to 273.48 , from 2005 to 2021. Younger women and men exhibited the greatest relative increases (relative increases, 283.21% and 169.07%, respectively; Multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs), 8.93 and 6.34, respectively).
Per 1 million people, the rates of AILD-related LT increased from 1.88 to 8.39, from 10.36 to 20.09, from 0.70 to 7.27, and from 9.23 to 17.78 among women, men, younger adults, and older adults, respectively, from 2005 to 2021. The highest relative increases and MAPCs occurred among younger women and younger men (relative increases, 2,283.96% and 683.54%, respectively; MAPCs, 19.71 and 14.84, respectively).
“These findings highlight an important need to elucidate the biopsychosocial factors driving alcohol use and formulate preventive strategies targeted to younger individuals, especially females,” the authors conclude.
Source: Sethi V, Bataller R, Liu H, Ruppert KM, Molinari M. Trends in Hospitalizations and Liver Transplants Associated With Alcohol-Induced Liver Disease. JAMA. Published online November 14, 2024.