Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
As social attitudes around binge and habitual drinking have changed over the years, cirrhosis (of the liver) rates seem to have fallen.
However, a new study from researchers at Loyola University has found evidence of the alcoholism-linked condition being more prevalent than previously thought.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, the new study found that cirrhosis affects over 630,000 Americans annually, more than previously thought, the researchers said. Also, 69 percent of those identified as potentially having the disease did not know it.
“Although some of these individuals may simply have forgotten or been confused about the question, this raises the possibility of a large number of undiagnosed cases of cirrhosis,” said study author Dr. Steven Scaglione, an assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences at Loyola.
Sadly, many of the cirrhosis cases were from preventable causes. Alcohol abuse, diabetes and hepatitis C accounted for over 50 percent of cases.
Cirrhosis is considered final-phase liver scarring. Signs and symptoms include jaundice, fatigue, internal bleeding, queasiness, swelling and confusion. However, many patients have zero symptoms. Cirrhosis can result in liver cancer and failure. In the United States, cirrhosis is the 12th leading source of death and the 5th leading source of death for patients between 45 and 54 years old.
Based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the new study was focused on finding out the rate of cirrhosis in the general population. The researchers determined a rate of about 0.27 percent, equal to 633,323 American adults. Previous estimates had found the number to be around 400,000.
The study team also saw that individuals with cirrhosis had a death rate of over 26 percent during a two-year period, as opposed to an 8.4 percent two-year fatality rate among adults without the disease. People with the disease also tended to be older, with men at greater risk than women. Disease rates were greater among poor people and those without a domestic partner. Rates dropped with increasing levels of education.
The study team noted that their work did have a few significant limitations. The process used to find out if participants in the survey had cirrhosis has not been vetted in the general population. Therefore, it’s possible the process may have erroneously classified some individuals with mild disease as cirrhosis sufferers. The study was also cross sectional, which means it took an overview of a representative group at a particular time, as opposed to tracking the population long term.
The researcher concluded that the true frequency of cirrhosis is likely greater than the study discovered, because the NHANES survey did not incorporate those who are incarcerated, immigrants and military veterans.
In December, Dr. Catherine Frenette, medical director of liver transplantation at Scripps Clinics in San Diego, told U-T San Diego that a liver transplant is a popular treatment for cirrhosis, but it isn’t the only treatment.
“Most people with cirrhosis don’t need a transplant,” she said. “And cirrhosis is not a death sentence.”
Frenette said treating the underlying cause, such as hepatitis C or alcoholism, can often lead to recovery because the liver is a “forgiving organ.”
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