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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 2019, chronic liver disease was the fourth leading cause of death for all American Indians/Alaska Natives, and the second leading cause of death for American Indian/Alaska Native men, ages 35-44.1
  • In 2018, American Indians/Alaska Natives were 1.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with chronic liver disease as compared to non-Hispanic whites.
  • The overall death rate for American Indians/Alaska Natives is almost four times higher than the non-Hispanic white population.
  • American Indian/Alaska Native women are 2.2 times as likely to be diagnosed with chronic liver disease and 4.8 times more likely to die from chronic liver disease as compared to non-Hispanic white women.

Cancer Rates (2014-2018)

Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Men
Cancer American Indian/Alaska Native Men Non-Hispanic White Men American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites 326.7 520.4 0.7
Liver & IBD* 21.7 11.3 1.9

*IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.24 and SEER*Explorer [ Accessed 7/22/2021].
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/; https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/

 

Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Women
Cancer American Indian/Alaska Native Women Non-Hispanic White Women American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites 311.1 460.2 0.7
Liver & IBD 8.6 4.0 2.2

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.25 and SEER*Explorer [ Accessed 7/22/2021].
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/; https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/

 

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, 2018**
American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
2.5 1.6 1.6

**NOTE: This is the most recent national data available at this time.

**IHS purchased/referred care delivery area (PRCDA)

Source: CDC 2020. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-4a.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm

 

Death Rates (2014-2018)

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Men
Cancer American Indian/Alaska Native Men Non-Hispanic White Men American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites 169.3 190.2 0.9
Liver & IBD 14.8 8.4 1.8

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.20
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/sections.html

 

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Women
Cancer American Indian/Alaska Native Women Non-Hispanic White Women American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites 120.1 137.8 0.9
Liver & IBD 7.0 3.6 1.9

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.20
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/sections.html

 

Age-adjusted Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis Death Rates per 100,000 (2018)
  Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men 50.6 14.9 3.4
Women 40.2 8.3 4.8
Total 45.2 11.5 3.9

Source: CDC 2021. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 69, No. 13. Table 10.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/nvsr69-13-508.pdf [PDF 2.05MB]

 

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

Last Modified: 8/11/2021 9:50:00 AM

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