Age, period and cohort trends in hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease in Australia

This study examined trends in admissions for alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) for Australian men and women between 1993 and 2020, disaggregating these trends into age, period and cohort components.

It found that ALD admission rates were substantially higher for men than women.

Rates for men increased up to 2005 and subsequently declined before an uptick in 2020. For women, rates increased steadily over the period. In age-period-cohort models, male admission rates were relatively stable over both period and cohort. For women, period effects increased steadily.

Recent cohorts had significantly higher rates of hospital admission for ALD than those born earlier.

Increases in hospital admissions for ALD, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, point to the need for effective identification and interventions for people with alcohol-use disorders at risk of chronic disease outcomes.

Read the full study in Drug and Alcohol Review.

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