Chronic Liver Disease and Hispanic Americans

Among the Hispanic/Latino population, 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 alcohol use disorder, obesity, and exposure to hepatitis B and C viruses.

• In 2019, chronic liver disease was the seventh leading cause of death for all Hispanics, and the fourth leading cause of death for Hispanic men, ages 45-541
• Hispanic men and women are 1.5 and 1.6 times more likely to die respectively from liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD) cancer than their non-Hispanic white counterparts.2

Cancer Rates (2017–2021)

Cancer incidence in males, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2017–2021
Cancer	Hispanic (any race) Males	Non-Hispanic White Males	Hispanic (any race) / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	367.0	510.7	0.7
Liver & IBD	21.5	11.2	1.9

Cancer incidence in females, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2017–2021
Cancer	Hispanic (any race) Females	Non-Hispanic White Females	Hispanic (any race) /Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	347.8	447.0	0.8
Liver & IBD	9.4	4.3	2.2

Diagnosed

Adults age 18 and over who have been told by a doctor that they have chronic liver disease, age-adjusted percentage, 2018
	Population	Non-Hispanic White	Population / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Hispanic	2.7	1.6	1.7
Mexican American	3.4	1.6	2.0

Death Rates

Cancer mortality in males, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2018–2022
Cancer	Hispanic (any race) Males	Non-Hispanic White Males	Hispanic (any race) / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	126.8	179.0	0.7
Liver & IBD	12.6	8.4	1.5

Cancer mortality in females, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2018–2022
Cancer	Hispanic (any race) Females	Non-Hispanic White Females	Hispanic (any race) / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	93.2	131.0	0.7
Liver & IBD	6.1	3.8	1.6

Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis mortality, age-adjusted rates per 100,000 population, 2020
	Hispanic	Non-Hispanic White	Hispanic/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Male	22.8	18.0	1.3
Female	10.2	10.3	1.0
Both Sexes	16.4	14.0	1.2

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1 CDC, 2021. Deaths: Leading Causes for 2019. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 70, No. 9. (Back to top)

2 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to top)