Chronic Liver Disease

The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. It helps “digest food, store energy, and remove poisons. Symptoms of liver disease can vary, but they often include swelling of the abdomen and legs, bruising easily, changes in the color of stool and urine, and jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes.”1

While the cause is not always known, some cases can be initiated by conditions such as alcohol use disorder, obesity, and exposure to hepatitis B and C viruses. Liver diseases include:

• Diseases caused by the hepatitis A, B, and C viruses
• Diseases caused by drugs, poisons, alcohol overconsumption, or metabolic factors, including fatty liver disease and cirrhosis
• Liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct (IBD) cancer
• Inherited diseases, such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease

This page provides data points and curated searches from OMH’s Knowledge Center library catalog related to chronic liver disease within minority and tribal populations in the United States and its territories. The number of catalog records for each topic reflect the search results at the time of this page’s latest update.

American Indian/Alaska Native

In 2022, chronic liver disease was the second leading cause of death for non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives ages 25-54.2 In 2018, American Indian/Alaska Native adults were 1.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with chronic liver disease than non-Hispanic white adults.3

For additional data on chronic liver disease and American Indians/Alaska Natives, please visit our Population Profiles.

Asian American

In 2022, chronic liver disease was the fifth leading cause of death for non-Hispanic Asian Americans ages 35–44.4 From 2017 to 2021, Asian American men were 60% more likely to be diagnosed with liver and IBD cancer as compared to non-Hispanic white men,5 and the incidence rate for liver and IBD cancer was 50% higher for Asian American women as compared to non-Hispanic white women.6

For additional data on chronic liver disease and Asian Americans, please visit our Population Profiles.

Black/African American

In 2022, chronic liver disease was the ninth leading cause of death for non-Hispanic Black or African Americans ages 35-64.7 From 2017–2021, non-Hispanic Black or African American males were 50% more likely to have liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD) cancer and to die from this disease than non-Hispanic white males.8 From 2018–2022, non-Hispanic Black or African American females were 30% more likely to have and 20% more likely to die from liver and IBD cancer than non-Hispanic white females.9

For additional data on chronic liver disease and Black or African Americans, please visit our Population Profiles.

Hispanic/Latino

In 2019, chronic liver disease was the eighth leading cause of death for all Hispanics, and the fourth leading cause of death for Hispanic men, ages 45-54.10 From 2018 to 2022, Hispanic men and women were 1.5 and 1.6 times more likely to die, respectively, from liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD) cancer than their non-Hispanic white counterparts.11

For additional data on chronic liver disease and Hispanic Americans, please visit our Population Profiles.

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

In 2022, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis comprised the seventh leading cause of death for non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, aged 45-54.12

For additional data on chronic liver disease and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, please visit our Population Profiles.

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1 MedlinePlus. (2024, December 5). Liver Diseases. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/liverdiseases.html (Back to footnote)

2 CDC. WISQARS. Leading Causes of Death. (Back to footnote)

3 CDC, 2020. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-4a. (Back to footnote)

4 Curtin, S. C., Tejada-Vera, B., & Bastian, B. A. (2024). Deaths: Leading causes for 2022. National Vital Statistics Reports, 73(10). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-10.pdf (Back to footnote)

5 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to footnote)

6 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to footnote)

7 Curtin, S. C., Tejada-Vera, B., & Bastian, B. A. (2024). Deaths: Leading causes for 2022. National Vital Statistics Reports, 73(10). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-10.pdf (Back to footnote)

8 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to footnote)

9 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to footnote)

10 CDC, 2021. Deaths: Leading Causes for 2019. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 70, No. 9. (Back to footnote)

11 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to footnote)

12 Curtin, S. C., Tejada-Vera, B., & Bastian, B. A. (2024). Deaths: Leading causes for 2022. National Vital Statistics Reports, 73(10). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-10.pdf (Back to footnote)