Mortality due to cirrhosis and liver cancer in the United States, 1999-2016: observational study

OBJECTIVE: To describe liver disease related mortality in the United States during 1999-2016 by age group, sex, race, cause of liver disease, and geographic region. DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING: Death certificate data from the Vital Statistics Cooperative, and population data from the US Census Bureau compiled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (1999-2016). PARTICIPANTS: US residents. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Deaths from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, with trends evaluated using joinpoint regression. RESULTS: From 1999 to 2016 in the US annual deaths from cirrhosis increased by 65%, to 34 174, while annual deaths from hepatocellular carcinoma doubled to 11 073. Only one subgroup—Asians and Pacific Islanders—experienced an improvement in mortality from hepatocellular carcinoma: the death rate decreased by 2.7% (95% confidence interval 2.2% to 3.3%, P<0.001) per year. Annual increases in cirrhosis related mortality were most pronounced for Native Americans (designated as “American Indians” in the census database) (4.0%, 2.2% to 5.7%, P=0.002). The age adjusted death rate due to hepatocellular carcinoma increased annually by 2.1% (1.9% to 2.3%, P<0.001); deaths due to cirrhosis began increasing in 2009 through 2016 by 3.4% (3.1% to 3.8%, P<0.001). During 2009-16 people aged 25-34 years experienced the highest average annual increase in cirrhosis related mortality (10.5%, 8.9% to 12.2%, P<0.001), driven entirely by alcohol related liver disease. During this period, mortality due to peritonitis and sepsis in the setting of cirrhosis increased substantially, with respective annual increases of 6.1% (3.9% to 8.2%) and 7.1% (6.1% to 8.4%). Only one state, Maryland, showed improvements in mortality (−1.2%, −1.7% to −0.7% per year), while many, concentrated in the south and west, observed disproportionate annual increases: Kentucky 6.8% (5.1% to 8.5%), New Mexico 6.0% (4.1% to 7.9%), Arkansas 5.7% (3.9% to 7.6%), Indiana 5.0% (3.8% to 6.1%), and Alabama 5.0% (3.2% to 6.8%). No state showed improvements in hepatocellular carcinoma related mortality, while Arizona (5.1%, 3.7% to 6.5%) and Kansas (4.3%, 2.8% to 5.8%) experienced the most severe annual increases. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality due to cirrhosis has been increasing in the US since 2009. Driven by deaths due to alcoholic cirrhosis, people aged 25-34 have experienced the greatest relative increase in mortality. White Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans experienced the greatest increase in deaths from cirrhosis. Mortality due to cirrhosis is improving in Maryland but worst in Kentucky, New Mexico, and Arkansas. The rapid increase in death rates among young people due to alcohol highlight new challenges for optimal care of patients with preventable liver disease.