Mortality Trends in Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis in the United States, before and during COVID-19 Pandemic

Kim, Donghee; Bonham, Clark Andrew; Konyn, Peter; Cholankeril, George; Ahmed, Aijaz

Chronic liver disease (CLD) and cirrhosis accounts for approximately 2 million deaths annually worldwide. CLD and cirrhosis-related mortality has increased steadily in the United States.1,2 With the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), patients with CLD and cirrhosis represent a vulnerable population at higher risk for complications and mortality.3,4 Although high mortality from COVID-19 among patients with CLD and cirrhosis have been reported,5 national trends in mortality related to CLD and cirrhosis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been assessed. This study estimated the temporal quarterly trends in CLD and cirrhosis-related mortality in the United States from 2017 Q1 to 2020 Q3 using provisional data releases from the National Vital Statistics System.6,7.