Alcohol-Attributable Fraction in Liver Disease: Does GDP Per Capita Matter?

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Epidemiology
• Alcohol-Related Diseases

Background:

• Alcohol-attributable fraction (AAF) quantifies alcohol's disease burden, with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) influenced by consumption patterns, duration, gender, ethnicity, and comorbidities.
• Investigating the association between AAF/alcohol-related liver mortality and per-capita alcohol consumption, stratified by per-capita gross domestic product (GDP).

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between alcohol consumption per capita and the alcohol-attributable fraction (AAF) for liver disease.
• To compare AAF and alcohol-related liver mortality across countries with varying per-capita GDP.
• To assess the impact of income level on the variance of AAF for alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study utilizing World Health Organization and World Bank data on AAF, per-capita alcohol consumption (L/y), and per-capita GDP (USD/y).
• Countries classified as high-income (GDP > $30,000) and very low income (GDP < $1,000).
• Statistical analysis included 2-sample t tests, Pearson correlation, and F tests to compare AAF, consumption, and variance between income groups.

Main Results:

• Higher per-capita alcohol consumption observed in high-income countries compared to very low income countries.
• A positive correlation found between AAF, per-capita alcohol consumption, and both genders across income levels.
• Significantly higher mortality from alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in very low income countries relative to high-income countries; no significant correlation found between alcohol types and AAF.

Conclusions:

• No statistically significant difference in AAF variance for alcoholic liver disease (ALD) was found between high-income and very low income countries.
• Higher per-capita alcohol consumption in high-income nations does not translate to a significantly different AAF variance compared to very low income nations.
• Reduced ALD mortality in high-income countries is attributed to superior healthcare systems, highlighting the need for comprehensive prevention strategies globally.