title: Drinking patterns and liver cirrhosis mortality.
abstract: Using the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey, alcohol consumption patterns were compared for decedents with and without mention of cirrhosis of the liver as a cause of death. Approximately 55% of cirrhosis decedents had 3 drinks or more daily (80% of decedents with alcoholic cirrhosis, and 40% of decedents with unspecified or other specified cirrhosis). In contrast, only 10% of decedents without cirrhosis had at least 3 drinks daily. Forty percent of decedents with alcoholic cirrhosis had 7 drinks or more daily, compared with 17% for unspecified cirrhosis, and 21% for other specified cirrhosis. The comparable figure was 3% for decedents without cirrhosis. An average of 3 drinks per day was associated with increased cirrhosis proportional mortality, and cirrhosis proportional mortality increased with higher numbers of daily drinks.
authors.affiliation: Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System, Washington, DC 20005.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Parrish
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dufour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology