Liver cirrhosis in Chile: epidemiologic considerations Cirrosis hepática en Chile: consideraciones epidemiológicas.

Abstract

Liver cirrhosis is an important public health problem in Chile, accounting for 5% of all deaths, proportion that has increased 24 fold in the last 60 years. Chile has the highest death rate for cirrhosis in America and the second highest in the world, after Hungary. The risk of death and hospitalization for cirrhosis has increased significantly between 1950 and 1970, stabilizing thereafter in values near to 50 hospitalizations and 30 deaths/year per 100,000 inhabitants. The risk for cirrhosis is higher among men and increases with age. Among people between 35 and 60 years of age, cirrhosis is the first or second cause of death and the third among those aged 60 to 69 years. The age of patients hospitalized for cirrhosis has increased from 42.7 years in 1950 to 55.5 in 1990. Among women, cirrhosis appears at older ages than in men. Mortality rates vary in the different regions of the country and range from 55 in Concepcion and Talcahuano to 8 per 100,000 inhabitants in Coquimbo. The cert