The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the nation’s health, not only from the virus itself but also from the increased consumption of alcohol that many people turned to cope with the stress, isolation and boredom of lockdowns. A new analysis by KFF Health News has found that more Californians died from alcoholic liver disease in the past three years than from car accidents or breast cancer, and the death rates from the condition have soared across the country to the highest levels in decades.
Alcoholic liver disease is the most common cause of alcohol-induced deaths nationally, and it is usually caused by years of excessive drinking, though it can sometimes occur after a short period of heavy alcohol use. There are often no symptoms until late in the disease, when weakness, confusion and jaundice can occur. If not treated early, the disease can lead to permanent liver damage, known as cirrhosis, and eventually death.
According to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14,209 Californians died from alcoholic liver disease between 2020 and 2022. The death rate from the disease during the last three years was 25% higher than in the three years before the pandemic. The rate peaked at 13.2 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021, nearly double the rate from two decades ago. Nationally, the rate reached 10 deaths per 100,000 residents the same year, up from 7.3 per 100,000 in 2019 and 4.4 per 100,000 in 2006.
A study by Washington State University researchers published in June in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences found that alcohol-related hepatitis diagnoses increased nearly 13% between 2019 and 2020 in the U.S., based on national hospital admissions data. Alcohol-related hepatitis is a type of liver inflammation that affects roughly one-third of heavy drinkers, defined as people who consume more than four alcoholic beverages in a day.
“Severe liver disease seems to be rising over time, but it appears to have increased even more dramatically during the pandemic,” said Dr. Kris Kowdley, a professor at Washington State University’s College of Medicine and the director of the Liver Institute Northwest. “We confirmed that alcohol-related hepatitis hospital admissions increased continually from 2016 to 2020. We also found that younger patients and women had a higher increase in in-hospital mortality compared to their counterparts.”
Dr. Kowdley said that a variety of factors may have contributed to a much higher rate of alcohol consumption during the pandemic, such as being socially isolated and having fewer barriers to drinking excess alcohol. Alcohol sales rose during the pandemic, with especially large jumps in the consumption of spirits.
A modeling study by Harvard Medical School researchers published in July in Hepatology estimated that a one-year increase in alcohol consumption during the pandemic will result in 8,000 additional deaths from alcohol-related liver disease, 18,700 cases of liver failure, and 1,000 cases of liver cancer by 2040 in the U.S. A sustained increase in alcohol consumption for more than one year could result in 19 to 35 percent additional mortality.
“Our findings highlight the need for individuals and policymakers to make informed decisions to mitigate the impact of high-risk alcohol drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.,” said Jagpreet Chhatwal, senior author of the modeling study and associate director of MGH’s Institute for Technology Assessment and an assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.
Jovan Julien, lead author of the modeling study and a data analyst at the MGH Institute for Technology Assessment, said that their research can help start needed conversations about how to respond to the many behavioral changes and choices that have short- and long-term implications for the health of individuals, families and communities in America.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had many unintended consequences with unknown long-term impact. Our modeling study provides a framework for quantifying the long-term impact of increased alcohol consumption associated with COVID-19 and initiating conversations for potential interventions,” said Turgay Ayer, co-author of the modeling study and the George Family Foundation Early Career Professor of Systems Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Experts urge people who have a problem with alcohol to seek help as soon as possible, as early treatment can prevent irreversible liver damage and save lives. They also recommend limiting alcohol intake to no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men, as defined by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Relevant articles:
– As heavy drinking rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, deaths and hospitalizations for liver disease also jumped, according to WSU research, The Spokesman-Review, July 17, 2023
– Alcohol-induced liver disease spiked during COVID-19 pandemic, New York Post, July 10, 2023
– Alcoholic Liver Disease Death Rates Surged During the Pandemic, U.S. News & World Report, July 12, 2023
– Alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic projected to cause more liver disease and deaths, Massachusetts General Hospital, July 13, 2023