Alcoholic liver injury in rural Japan

As regards causes to liver cirrhosis in the latest survey, HB viral cirrhosis accounted for 20.9% and alcoholic cirrhosis 33%, going up to 46.8% in some highly prevalent areas. In Japanese rural areas, there are many occasions for people to drink according to custom like districts in the West where wine is consumed in large quantities, and there are signs of a rise in the prevalence of alcoholic cirrhosis. Besides, the more important thing is that about half of the cases with HB viral cirrhosis and 20% or so of those with alcoholic cirrhosis are complicated with liver cancer, and 31.7% of all types of hepatocirrhosis were complicated with liver cancer. The subject diseases in the present survey, i.e. liver cirrhosis and primary liver cancer, are difficult to diagnose early and poorly responsive to treatment as has been reported in many proceedings of medical societies. Medical institutions that are situated in rural areas of Japan, such as ours, are as yet inadequately staffed and poorly equipped with medical appliances. Moreover, in rural countries an effective educational movement against liver diseases does not seem to be raised yet. All told, we medical workers engaged in the delivery of medical care to rural populations, must do everything in our power for the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the rural communities.