Risk factors for liver disease among adults of Mexican descent in the United States and Mexico

Abstract

AIMTo compare the prevalence of chronic liver disease (CLD) risk factors in a representative sample of Mexican-Americans born in the United States (US) or Mexico, to a sample of adults in Mexico.METHODSData for Mexican-Americans in the US were obtained from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which includes persons of Mexican origin living in the US (n = 4274). The NHANES sample was restricted to Mexican-American participants who were 20 years and older, born in the US or Mexico, not pregnant or breastfeeding, and with medical insurance. The data in Mexico were obtained from the 2004-2013 Health Worker Cohort Study in Cuernavaca, Mexico (n = 9485). The following known risk factors for liver disease/cancer were evaluated: elevated aminotransferase levels (elevated alanine aminotransferase was defined as > 40 IU/L for males and females; elevated aspartate aminotransferase was defined as > 40 IU/L for males and females), infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C, metabolic syndrome, high total cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, abdominal obesity, and heavy alcohol use. The main independent variables for this study classified individuals by country of residence (i.e., Mexico vs the US) and place of birth (i.e., US-born vs Mexico-born). Regression analyses were used to investigate CLD risk factors.RESULTSAfter adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, Mexican-American males were more likely to be obese, diabetic, heavy/binge drinkers or have abdominal obesity than males in Mexico. The adjusted multivariate results for females also indicate that Mexican-American females were significantly more likely to be obese, diabetic, be heavy/binge drinkers or have abdominal obesity than Mexican females. The prevalence ratios and prevalence differences mirror the multivariate analysis findings for the aforementioned risk factors, showing a greater risk among US-born as compared to Mexico-born Mexican-Americans.CONCLUSIONIn this study, Mexican-Americans in the US had more risk factors for CLD than their counterparts in Mexico. These findings can be used to design and implement more effective health promotion policies and programs to address the specific factors that put Mexicans at higher risk of developing CLD in both countries.

Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk Analysis in Uninsured Mexican-Origin Women Living in the U.S.–Mexico Border Region

“…Women who were born in Mexico and migrated to the United States at childbearing and perimenopause/menopause ages had significantly lower odds, while women who migrated during pre-childbearing age (younger than 15 years) had similar likelihood of reporting any risk factors for HBC compared with the women who were U.S. born. These findings support burgeoning evidence from numerous studies that have shown differential effects of immigration status on health and mortality (Flores et al, 2018; John, Phipps, Davis, & Koo, 2005; Keegan et al, 2010; Pinheiro, Callahan, Stern & de Vries, 2018; Pinheiro et al, 2009; Stern et al, 2016). There is substantial evidence that among Hispanic women, those of U.S. birth have a higher breast cancer incidence than immigrants (U.S. born vs. foreign-born) (Balakrishnan, George, Sharma, Graham, & Malaty, 2018; Heck et al, 2016; John et al, 2005; Keegan et al, 2010; Pike et al, 2002; Pinheiro et al, 2009; Thomas & Karagas, 1996).…”

A Prospective Observational Study on Aetiology, Complications and Drug Related Problems of Liver Disorders in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

“…Out of 150 study population 13.33% were suffering with an end stage liver disease with irreversible damage and poor prognosis with many complications this is because most of the patients in our study population were not aware of signs and symptoms of early stage liver disorders and they are not willing to quit alcohol until their signs and symptoms progressive to cirrhosis Most common complication was portal hypertension 67 (25.18%), followed by ascites 83 (31.20%), jaundice 4 (1.50%), bleeding manifestations 10 (3.75%) and rare complications include oesophageal Varices 7 (2.63%), liver Malignancy 3 (1.12%), pleural effusion 8 (3.0%), Budd-Chiari syndrome 5 (1.87%), portal vein thrombosis 2 (0.75%), PVD 1 (0.37%), SBP 6 (2.25%) 10,3,13 . 34 patients were observed with no complications.…”

“…Although infection with HBV or HCV and heavy alcohol use are well known risk factors for CLD and liver cancer, a significant proportion of cases (15% to 50%) do not present with these risk factors. Other risk factors for CLD include obesity and diabetes, and the proposed mechanism is through the development of NAFLD and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) 3 .…”

Chronic Liver Disease and the Risk of Osteoporotic Fractures: A Meta-Analysis

“…The most common risk factors for chronic liver disease include excessive alcohol consumption, hepatitis B and C, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome [ 4 ]. Since the liver is an organ involved in various mechanisms of metabolism, chronic liver disease can lead to secondary osteoporosis which affects about 30% of patients suffering from this disease [ 5 , 6 ].…”