Hispanics develop this disease almost 10 years sooner than other ethnicities
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) disproportionately affects Hispanics in the United States, and for the first time, researchers are able to say just how much sooner…
Hispanics develop alcoholic liver disease faster and at a younger age compared to other ethnicities. (Shutterstock)
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) disproportionately affects Hispanics in the United States, and for the first time, researchers are able to say just how much sooner this ethnicity has to worry compared to non-Hispanic whites.
According to new data from lead researcher Valentina Medici, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at UC Davis Health System, Hispanics present with alcoholic liver disease as much as 10 years sooner when compared to African Americans and non-Hispanic whites.
SEE ALSO: Hispanics at highest risk as fatty liver disease skyrockets
“For the first time, we showed that Hispanics present at a 4 to 10 years younger age than Caucasians and African Americans, and that ethnicity could predict the age of presentation of alcoholic fatty liver and alcoholic hepatitis, Medici said in a press release. “In addition, alcoholic Hispanics tend to be more frequently obese and diabetic than the other ethnicities, indicative of a possibly more severe disease.
Alcoholic liver disease occurs when the liver?which filters out alcohol from the bloodstream?becomes overloaded through binging or chronic drinking. This overloading results in the destruction of liver cells, and the American Liver Foundation (ALF) indicates eventually the liver becomes too scarred and malformed to function properly.
There are several stages of alcoholic liver disease: Alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. Alcoholic fatty liver disease, the earliest stage of alcohol-related liver disease, can be reversed if an individual stops drinking; however, there are often no symptoms during this stage of illness, which is why so many cases progress to the later forms of liver disease where inflammation and scarring occur.
“Many heavy drinkers will progress from fatty liver disease to alcoholic hepatitis to alcoholic cirrhosis over time. However, some heavy drinkers may develop cirrhosis without first having alcoholic hepatitis first. Others may have alcoholic hepatitis but never have symptoms. Additionally, alcohol consumption may worsen liver injury caused by non-alcoholic liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis C,” states the ALF. “Since an individual’s susceptibility to the toxic effects of alcohol may vary by many factors including age, gender, genetics and coexistent medical conditions, it is reasonable for you to review alcohol use with your physician.”
Fatty liver disease is the first stage of alcoholic liver disease. (shutterstock)
Knowing the Hispanics develop alcoholic liver disease significantly faster than other ethnicities is important if the condition is to be caught in enough time to reverse damage. The UC Davis research noted Hispanic patients had alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis between 4 and 10 years younger than white patients and alcoholic cirrhosis 5 years younger than black patients, but what’s more, Hispanics patients were affected by these liver conditions at much younger ages, too, suggesting heavy drinking much earlier in life.
SEE ALSO: Liver disease in men who drink alcohol could be prevented with coffee
Obesity and metabolic disease like diabetes were also more prevalent among Hispanics in the research, and experts noted these factors significantly speed up the alcoholic liver disease process.
“Hispanics may find it important to know that heavy drinkers can develop ALD at a younger age, that obesity contributes to this risk and that preventative steps should be taken if their relatives or friends engage in risky drinking behavior, Medici said. In addition, primary care physicians in the community will want to screen regularly for the presence and extent of alcohol drinking, as well as the potential contributing factors of obesity and ethnicity as high risk factors for the development of [ALD] in their high alcohol-consuming patients.
