Boston: During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers in Boston have projected the rates of liver disease and accompanying mortality due to increasing alcohol intake. The findings of the study were reported in the 'Hepatology Journal.'

According to statistics from a national study of US people' drinking habits, excessive drinking increased by 21 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a team lead by Massachusetts General Hospital experts.

The researchers modelled the drinking patterns and trends in liver disease in all persons in the United States. They calculated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, a one-year rise in alcohol use will result in 8,000 extra deaths from alcohol-related liver disease, 18,700 cases of liver failure, and 1,000 cases of liver cancer by 2040. In the medium term, COVID-19-related changes in alcohol consumption are predicted to result in 100 extra deaths and 2,800 new cases of liver disease by 2023. 

According to the researchers, a persistent rise in alcohol use for more than a year can result in a 19-35 percent increase in mortality. "Our findings emphasise the importance of individuals and policymakers making informed decisions to reduce the impact of high-risk alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States," said senior author Jagpreet Chhatwal, PhD, associate director of MGH's Institute for Technology Assessment and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.

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