[Liver cirrhosis mortality in Mexico. I. Relevant epidemiological characteristics]

Previous studies have emphasized the impact of alcoholism on public health, especially on the incidence of liver cirrhosis, which ranks among one of the main causes of death in Mexico. Accordingly, the epidemiologic features of liver cirrhosis mortality (LCM) are examined, highlighting its historical trends, its geographical distribution and other risk factors like age and sex. The data show a consistently high LCM rate over time, male rates moving slightly up and female rates down. Proportional mortality has been increasing. The significant risk increment with age has determined LCM to be the leading cause of death for both sexes in the 30-64 years age group. A particularly interesting finding relates to the continuous excess of LCM seen in Mexico City and four surrounding states; on the contrary, in the northern states, LCM is considerably low. This difference is valid for women too. Comparing all states, a gradient of LCM rates from high to low mortality areas is observed. The social and health implications of LCM regional distribution demand the conduction of epidemiological studies to identify possible explanatory variables related to the pattern of alcohol consumption or other risk factors. Nonetheless, these data alone justify the implementation of an effective action plan in the high-risk areas to deal with this health problem, inherently associated with individual and social behaviors.