Chronic Liver Disease and American Indians/Alaska Natives

Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, chronic liver disease is a leading cause of death. While the cause is not always known, some cases can be initiated by conditions such as chronic alcoholism, obesity, and exposure to Hepatitis B and C viruses.

In 2009, chronic liver disease was the fifth leading cause of death for all American Indian/Alaska Native men, and the second leading cause of death for men, ages 35-44. ¹
American Indian/Alaska Native men and women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with chronic liver disease, as compared to non-Hispanic Whites.
The overall death rate for American Indian/Alaska Natives is 2.6 times higher than for the White population.
In 2009, chronic liver disease was the second leading cause of death for American Indian/Alaska Native women, ages 35-54. ¹

At a glance – Cancer Rates for American Indian/Alaska Natives (2005-2009):

**Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Men**
Cancer	American Indian Men	Non-Hispanic White Men	American Indian/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	352.7	564.7	0.6
Liver & IBD*	18.3	8.8	2.1

**Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Women**
Cancer	American Indian Women	Non-Hispanic White Women	American Indian/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	313.8	439.0	0.7
Liver & IBD*	8.1	2.9	2.8

*IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct

Source: : NCI 2012. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2009. Tables 2.15, and 14.15
http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2009_pops09/results_single/sect_02_table.15.pdf [PDF | 11.4KB]
http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2009_pops09/results_single/sect_14_table.15.pdf [PDF | 11.3KB]

At a glance – Diagnosed:

**Age-adjusted percentage of persons 18 years of age and over who have been told by a doctor that they have chronic liver disease, 2010**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
2.6*	1.3	2.0

* Estimates are considered unreliable. Data shown have a relative standard error of greater than 30%.

Source: CDC 2012. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: 2010. Table 8.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_252.pdf [PDF | 1.5MB]

At a glance – Death Rate:

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Men (2005-2009)
Cancer: Liver & IBD*
Region	American Indian/Alaska Native Men	Non-Hispanic White Men	American Indian/Alaska Native/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Total U.S.	8.6	7.0	1.2
CHSDA Counties**	11.9	7.0	1.7
Non-CHSDA Counties	4.7	7.0	0.7

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Women (2005-2009)
Cancer: Liver & IBD*
Region	American Indian/Alaska Native Women	Non-Hispanic White Women	American Indian/Alaska Native/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Total U.S.	4.5	2.9	1.6
CHSDA Counties**	5.9	2.9	2.0
Non-CHSDA Counties	2.6	2.9	0.9

*IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct
**IHS Contract Health Service Delivery Area

Source: NCI 2012. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2009. Table 14.15
http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2009_pops09/results_single/sect_14_table.15.pdf [PDF | 11KB]

**Age-Adjusted Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis Death Rates per 100,000 (2009)**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
23.8	9.1	2.6

Source: CDC 2012. Deaths: Final Data for 2009. Table 16 and Table 17.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr60/nvsr60_03.pdf [PDF | 2MB]

¹CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/fatal.html

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Content Last Modified: 8/24/2012 10:06:00 AM

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