ABSTRACT
This cross-sectional study examines the national- and state-level age-adjusted mortality rates for alcohol-associated liver disease in 4 racial groups, with a focus on the American Indian or Alaska Native population.
Subject(s)
Alcohol-Related Disorders , COVID-19 , Liver Diseases , Racial Groups , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Ethanol/adverse effects , Indians, North American , Liver Diseases/epidemiology , Liver Diseases/ethnology , Liver Diseases/etiology , Liver Diseases/mortality , Pandemics , Alcohol-Related Disorders/complications , Alcohol-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Alcohol-Related Disorders/ethnology , Alcohol-Related Disorders/mortality , United States/epidemiology , Race Factors/statistics & numerical data , Racial Groups/ethnology , Racial Groups/statistics & numerical data , Ethnicity/statistics & numerical dataSubject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/trends , Alcohol-Related Disorders/epidemiology , COVID-19/complications , Liver Diseases, Alcoholic/epidemiology , Alcohol Abstinence/statistics & numerical data , Alcohol-Related Disorders/complications , Humans , New York City/epidemiology , Risk Factors , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there have been health concerns related to alcohol use and misuse. We aimed to examine the population-level change in cases of alcohol-related liver disease and pancreatitis that required admission during the COVID-19 epidemic by interrupted time series (ITS) analysis using claims data. We defined the period from April 2020, when the Japanese government declared a state of emergency, as the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic. This ITS analysis included 3,026,389 overall admissions and 10,242 admissions for alcohol-related liver disease or pancreatitis from 257 hospitals between July 2018 and June 2020. The rate of admissions per 1000 admissions during the COVID-19 epidemic period (April 2020-June 2020) was 1.2 times (rate ratio: 1.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.12-1.33) compared to the pre-epidemic period. Analyses stratified by sex revealed that the increases in admission rates of alcohol-related liver disease or pancreatitis for females were higher than for males during the COVID-19 epidemic period. The COVID-19 epidemic in Japan might associates an increase in hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease and pancreatitis. Our study could support the concern of alcohol consumption and health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.