Mortality due to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and disorders attributed to alcohol use: Global Burden of Disease in Brazil, 1990 and 2015.

Introduction:: Alcohol use is one of the main preventable risk factors affecting mortality and premature disability.

Objective:: To describe the estimates of mortality and years of life lost as a result of premature death (YLL) due to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and disorders attributed to alcohol use in Brazil and its federated units in 1990 and 2015.

Methods:: Descriptive study using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (2015) and the Mortality Information System (SIM). Statistical models were used to obtain corrected mortality estimates for selected causes. Rates were standardized by age.

Results:: In 1990, 16,226 deaths were estimated for the three conditions (17.0/100 thousand inhabitants), while in 2015 there were 28,337 deaths (15.7/100 thousand inhabitants). There was a reduction in mortality (per 100 thousand) due to cirrhosis (from 11.4 to 9.5), stability in mortality rates related to liver cancer (1.5 and 1.9), and stability in mortality rates caused by alcohol use disorders (4.1 and 4.3). Mortality rates were 5.1 times higher among men, and the five states with the highest mortality rates and YLL were from the Northeast Region: Sergipe, Ceará, Pernambuco, Paraíba, and Alagoas. Mortality and YLL rates for the three conditions studied increased in the ranking of causes of death in both sexes, with the exception of cirrhosis in the female population.

Conclusion:: The three conditions studied are responsible for a significant burden of premature mortality in Brazil, especially among men and residents of the northeast region. These results reinforce the urgent need for public policies that address harmful alcohol consumption in Brazil.