Alcohol Leads to Rise in Liver Disease Deaths in Young Adults

Fatal liver disease is on the rise in young adults, driven by alcohol consumption, researchers report in a new study.

Between 1999 and 2016, the number of young adults ages 25 to 34 who died annually from alcohol-related liver disease almost tripled, from 259 to 767, the researchers wrote in BMJ.

Study co-author Dr. Neehar Parikh of the University of Michigan Medical School said while the reason for the increase is unclear, it may be related to the global financial crisis. “We hypothesize that there may be a loss of opportunity, and the psychological burden that comes with that may have driven some of those patients to abusive drinking,” he said.

The researchers noted that liver disease is often reversible. Many patients can recover if they stop drinking soon enough, they told NPR.