Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) are rising with the steepest increases seen among women, young adults, and Indigenous populations. A new study published in JAMA Network reveals that between 2018 and 2022, ALD deaths rose by nearly 9% each year—more than double the annual increase of 3.5% seen from 2006 to 2018.
Researchers conducted the study using national death certificate data, focusing on fatalities from alcohol-associated hepatitis and cirrhosis, two severe forms of liver disease. These conditions cause inflammation, liver cell death, and often irreversible damage. Experts link the alarming rise to increased alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period also marked by spikes in obesity, hypertension, and other chronic illnesses.
The findings show that American Indian and Alaska Native adults were disproportionately affected. In 2022, alcohol-related cirrhosis deaths in these groups reached 33 per 100,000 people—the highest among all racial and ethnic populations studied. Deaths from hepatitis doubled in these communities.
Young adults also saw a significant rise in mortality. People aged 25 to 44 had the largest yearly increase in deaths from alcohol-associated hepatitis between 1999 and 2022.
Women, too, are increasingly vulnerable to alcohol-related liver conditions. Due to biological differences, including lower alcohol metabolism and higher body fat, even moderate drinking has a more harmful impact on women’s organs than on men’s. “Women produce less alcohol dehydrogenase – an enzyme in the stomach that breaks down alcohol, resulting in more alcohol reaching the liver,” experts explain.
As alcohol consumption remains high, public health experts stress the urgent need for education, early intervention, and accessible support services to prevent further loss of life from this entirely preventable disease.
Reference: Pan C, Abboud Y, Chitnis A, Zhang W, Singal AK, Wong RJ. Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Mortality. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(6):e2514857. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.14857
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