Liver cirrhosis in Iceland and Sweden: incidence, aetiology and outcomes

• Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
• Main Authors: Gunnarsdottir, S A, Olsson, R, Olafsson, S, Cariglia, N, Westin, J, Thjodleifsson, B, Bjornsson, E
• Other Authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Informa Healthcare 2009
• Subjects: Liver Cirrhosis; Alcoholic; Mortality; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/86463; https://doi.org/10.1080/00365520902912571

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field Objective . The objectives of this study were to investigate the incidence, aetiology and mortality of liver cirrhosis in Iceland and in Gothenburg in Sweden. Further objectives were prognosis in relation to different aetiologies and to evaluate the relationship between alcohol consumption in these countries and the incidence of alcoholic cirrhosis in recent decades. The incidence and mortality of liver cirrhosis in Iceland has been reported to be the lowest in the Western world. There are very few data on aetiology, incidence and prognosis among cirrhotics in Sweden. Material and methods . All patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in Gothenburg (600,000 inhabitants) and Iceland (300,000 inhabitants) during the period 1994-2003 were included. Results . A total of 918 patients in Gothenburg and 98 in Iceland were identified. The annual incidence in Gothenburg was 15.3+/-2.4/100,000 compared to 3.3+/-1.2/100,000 in Iceland (p<0.0001). In Gothenburg, 69% were male and in Iceland 52% (p<0.001). In Gothenburg, 50% of the patients had alcoholic cirrhosis compared to 29% in Iceland (p<0.0001). In Gothenburg, the patients had a higher Child-Pugh score (9.0) (SD 2.5) compared to Iceland (7.3) (SD 2.7) (p<0.0001). There was no difference in survival between patients with alcoholic liver disease and those with other aetiologies. Conclusions . The incidence of liver cirrhosis is low in Iceland, i.e. 24% of the incidence in Gothenburg, due to the lower incidence of alcoholic and hepatitis C cirrhosis in Iceland. No increasing trends in the incidence of cirrhosis in these two countries were observed during the study period.