Among Asian Americans, 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 sixth leading cause of death for Asian/Pacific Islanders, 25-44 years old.1
- Asian American men have higher incidence rates of liver cancer as compared to Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, or Asian/Pacific Islander men.2
- Asian male subgroups have higher mortality rates for liver cancer, specifically 54.3 for Vietnamese, 33.9 for Koreans, 23.3 for Chinese, 16.8 for Filipino and 9.3 for Japanese.2
- Asian American men are 60 percent more likely to die from liver and IBD cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
- The incidence rate for liver and IBD cancer is 1.8 time higher for Asian American women as compared to non-Hispanic white women.
Cancer Rates (2014-2018)
| Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Men | |||
| Cancer | Asian/Pacific Islander Men | Non-Hispanic White Men | Asian/Pacific Islander/Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 309.1 | 520.4 | 0.6 |
| Liver & IBD* | 19.4 | 11.3 | 1.7 |
*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 | Asian/Pacific Islander Women | Non-Hispanic White Women | Asian/Pacific Islander/Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 311.5 | 460.2 | 0.7 |
| Liver & IBD | 7.1 | 4.0 | 1.9 |
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** | ||
| Asian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Asian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.7 |
**NOTE: This is the most recent national data available at this time.
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 | Asian/Pacific Islander Men | Non-Hispanic White Men | Asian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 114.6 | 190.2 | 0.6 |
| Liver & IBD | 13.1 | 8.4 | 1.6 |
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 | Asian/Pacific Islander Women | Non-Hispanic White Women | Asian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 84.6 | 137.8 | 0.6 |
| Liver & IBD | 5.4 | 3.6 | 1.5 |
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 Asian | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Asian / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 4.6 | 14.9 | .03 |
| Women | 2.4 | 8.3 | 0.3 |
| Total | 3.4 | 11.5 | 0.3 |
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
2Source: CDC 2008. Health characteristics of the Asian adult population: United States, 2004–2006, page 2.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad394.pdf [PDF 476KB]
Last Edited: 08/11/2021