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Abstract
Liver disease accounts for approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide, 1 million
due to complications of cirrhosis and 1million due to viral hepatitis and hepatocellular
carcinoma. Cirrhosis is currently the 11th most common cause of death globally and
liver cancer is the 16th leading cause of death; combined, they account for 3.5% of
all deaths worldwide. Cirrhosis is within the top 20 causes of disability-adjusted
life years and years of life lost, accounting for 1.6% and 2.1% of the worldwide burden.
About 2 billion people consume alcohol worldwide and upwards of 75 million are diagnosed
with alcohol-use disorders and are at risk of alcohol-associated liver disease. Approximately
2 billion adults are obese or overweight and over 400 million have diabetes; both
of which are risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular
carcinoma. The global prevalence of viral hepatitis remains high, while drug-induced
liver injury continues to increase as a major cause of acute hepatitis. Liver transplantation
is the second most common solid organ transplantation, yet less than 10% of global
transplantation needs are met at current rates. Though these numbers are sobering,
they highlight an important opportunity to improve public health given that most causes
of liver diseases are preventable.