Epidemiology of chronic liver diseases

In the GDR mortality from liver cirrhosis decreases in contrast to most other countries though the alcohol consumption of the population is continuously increasing. In Capital Berlin and in the industrialized districts mortality from cirrhosis is higher than in the rural areas. Within a period of 6 years the number of inpatients with chronic liver diseases has risen from 11.600 to 14.200. From the epidemiologic point of view, virus hepatitis is not the main source of liver cirrhosis. The total recovery rate of acute hepatitis has increased from 80% to 94% over a period of some 8 to 10 years, liver cirrhosis was found to have developed only in 0.3%. 70% of cirrhotic patients did never suffer from virus hepatitis, as their anamnesis revealed. 73% of 1.8 million blood donors that were subjected to SGPT and HBAg-screening tests showed histologic changes of the liver. With the use of these screening methods it has been possible to register 7% persons with liver diseases among these blood donors. Early recognition and treatment of chronic liver diseases seem to result in a reduction of mortality from liver cirrhosis.