Risk Factors for Chronic Liver Disease in Blacks, Mexican Americans, and Whites in the United States: Results From NHANES IV, 1999-2004

Abstract

OBJECTIVES Morbidity and mortality due to liver disease and cirrhosis vary significantly by race/ethnicity in the United States. We examined the prevalence of liver disease risk factors among blacks, Mexican Americans, and whites, including elevated aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activity, infection with viral hepatitis B or hepatitis C, alcohol intake, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. METHODS Data were obtained from the Fourth National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES IV). A logistic regression was used to examine the association of race/ethnicity to liver disease risk factors, controlling for the demographic and socioeconomic variables. RESULTS Mexican-American men and women are the most likely to have elevated aminotransferase activity. Among men, Mexican Americans are more likely than whites to be heavy/binge drinkers, and blacks are more likely to have hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Among women, Mexican Americans are more likely than whites to be obese and diabetic, and less likely to be heavy/binge drinkers; blacks are more likely than whites to have hepatitis B or hepatitis C, be obese or diabetic, and less likely to be heavy/binge drinkers. CONCLUSIONS In this national sample, the prevalence of risk factors for liver disease varies by race/ethnicity. Mexican Americans and blacks have a greater risk of developing liver disease than their white counterparts. These findings are consistent with the observed racial/ethnic disparities in morbidity and mortality due to chronic liver disease and contribute to the efforts to identify the causes of these disparities. This information can be used by health professionals to tailor screening and intervention programs.

PNPLA3 Gene Polymorphism Is Associated With Predisposition to and Severity of Alcoholic Liver Disease

“…However, only ∼ 10-20% of heavy drinkers develop AC, suggesting a role of other host factors and comorbidities predisposing to ALI and its progression to AC and HCC ( 2 ). Data on genetic predisposition to alcoholism and alcoholic liver disease (ALD) among monozygotic twins ( 3 ), and on ethnic variations on ALD-related mortality independent of amount of alcohol use, support the role of genetic factors in mediating ALD (4)(5)(6). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms within genes of cytokines, alcohol-metabolizing enzymes, and antioxidant enzymes have been shown to be associated with progression of alcohol-induced liver fi brosis ( 7 ).…”

Incidence and mortality of liver cancer and their relationship with the human development index in the world

“…In Flores YN's study, it was found that if the level of education is lower, viral load of hepatitis infection and the incidence of HCC will be more (Flores et al, 2008). Kyunghee Jung-Choi indicated that mortality from the cancer is higher in population groups with lower education than population groups with higher education (Jung-Choi et al, 2014).…”

The rs738409 (I148M) variant of the PNPLA3 gene and cirrhosis: a meta-analysis

“…First, most studies included Caucasian patients only; hence, the generalizability of our results to other racial/ ethnic groups may be limited. Race/ethnicity is also a potential confounding factor as indicated by fi ndings from several studies, which reported that individuals of Hispanic, black, or Indian race/ethnicity may be more likely to develop cirrhosis compared with Caucasians ( 37,49 ). Additional studies involving participants of different ethnic backgrounds are necessary to further whether differences in the frequency of cirrhosis among different ethnic groups is or is not associated with the rs738409 variant.…”

“…For the GC and GG genotypes compared with the CC genotype, the OR (95% CI) ranged from 1. 49 All seven studies were included in the meta-analyses. Signifi cant heterogeneity was found in the pooled data for evaluation of the G compared with the C allele pooled Therefore, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the strength of this association, we reviewed the available published literature and carried out meta-analysis to assess the risk of cirrhosis on the basis of rs738409 allele frequency (C vs. G) and genotype (CC vs. GG vs. GC).…”