A new study published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday shows that deaths relating to liver disease among United States residents aged 25 to 34 have increased over the last decade. Alcohol is thought to be the main reason for the rise, according to an NBC News report.
Cirrhosis, late-stage scarring of the liver caused by liver diseases and conditions such as chronic alcoholism, increased 65 percent between 1999 and 2016 according to the study.
The study adds that white Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans experienced the greatest increase in deaths from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, a liver cancer associated with cirrhosis. Mortality rates were worst in Kentucky, New Mexico, and Arkansas but improving in Maryland.
Elliot Tapper, lead author and an assistant professor at the University of Michigan specializing in the study of the liver, noted that “alcohol misuse and its complications” are affecting a new generation of Americans. According to Tapper, people drinking several drinks a night or binge-drinking multiple nights a week are at risk of life-threatening cirrhosis. However, Tapper also noted there is “an excellent chance your liver will repair itself” if you have an alcohol-related disease but stop drinking.
Check out the full study here.
In other news, Barack Obama says more women should get into politics. Read more on that here.
