Notes on the data: Premature mortality by selected cause - 0 to 74 years

Deaths from cirrhosis and other diseases of the liver, persons aged 0 to 74 years, 2018 to 2022

Policy context: Cirrhosis means scarring of the liver which is a result of long-term liver damage [1]. Cirrhosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in people with chronic liver disease world-wide [2]. Cirrhosis can be caused by:

infection with a virus such as hepatitis B or C
metabolic dysfunction (a result of being overweight or obese, having diabetes, poor diet, or not enough exercise)
an autoimmune condition
an inherited or genetic disease such as haemochromatosis or Wilson’s disease, alpha-1antitrypsin deficiency, galactosemia and glycogen storage disorders
severe reactions to prescription or over-the-counter drugs or long-term exposure to environmental toxins
severe heart disease that leads to liver congestion [1]

A liver with cirrhosis can have problems producing substances to clot the blood, digesting sugar and vitamins, or getting rid of toxins and bacteria [1]. Liver cancer can also develop in a liver with cirrhosis [1].

The number of deaths from cirrhosis is projected to increase in the next decade so there is a greater need for primary prevention, early detection, improved access to care and treatment of liver disease [2].

For 2018 to 2022, 74.5% of deaths from digestive system diseases – deaths from cirrhosis and other diseases of the liver were premature, with the proportion for males (77.3%) being higher than that for females (69.6%) – these and other details are available here.

References

Liver foundation. Cirrhosis. Available from: https://liver.org.au/your-liver/liver-diseases/cirrhosis/#:~:text=It is estimated that cirrhosis affects at least 1 in 200 Australians. Last accessed: 3 September 2024.
Huang, D.Q., Terrault, N.A., Tacke, F. et al. Global epidemiology of cirrhosis — aetiology, trends and predictions. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 20, 388–398 (2023). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-023-00759-2.

Notes: International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes: K70-K76

For detailed data files released since 2007, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has applied a staged approach to the coding of cause of death which affects the number of records available for release at any date. In general, the latest year’s data are designated preliminary, the second latest as revised and the data for the remaining years as final. For further information about the ABS revisions process see the following and related sites: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3303.0Explanatory+Notes12012.

Data published here are from the following releases: 2018, 2019 and 2020, final; and 2021 and 2022, preliminary.

Geography: Data available by Population Health Area, Local Government Area, Primary Health Network, Quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage of area and Quintiles within PHNs, and Remoteness Area

Numerator: Deaths from cirrhosis and other diseases of the liver at ages 0 to 74 years

Denominator: Population aged 0 to 74 years

Detail of analysis: Average annual indirectly age-standardised rate per 100,000 population (aged 0 to 74 years); and/or indirectly age-standardised ratio, based on the Australian standard.

Source: Data compiled by PHIDU from deaths data based on the 2018 to 2022 Cause of Death Unit Record Files supplied by the Australian Coordinating Registry and the Victorian Department of Justice, on behalf of the Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the National Coronial Information System. The population is the average of the ABS Estimated Resident Population (ERP) for Australia, 30 June 2018 to 30 June 2022.