The healthcare burden imposed by liver disease in aging baby boomers

被引:40
作者
Davis G.L. [1 ]
Roberts W.L. [2 ]
机构
[1] Departments of Medicine and Transplantation Surgery, 4 Roberts, Hepatology, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75246
[2] HealthTexas Provided Network, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75246
关键词
Alcoholic liver disease; Fatty liver disease; Hepatitis C; Hepatocellular carcinoma;
D O I
10.1007/s11894-009-0087-2
中图分类号
学科分类号
摘要
The Baby Boomer generation is composed of 78 million Americans who are just beginning to reach their retirement years. Most Boomers have at least one chronic health problem, and these significantly increase the expense of providing medical care. Liver disease is the 12th most common cause of death in the United States, representing a relatively small portion of overall healthcare costs compared with cardiovascular disease and malignancy. Nonetheless, hepatitis C and fatty liver disease are more common in the Boomers and may play a more dominant role as they age. As a consequence, primary liver cancer is likely to become more prevalent. As with most chronic illnesses, prevention rather than disease management is likely to have the greatest impact. For those already afflicted by chronic liver disease, recognition and treatment can reduce the incidence of late complications, as was clearly demonstrated with chronic hepatitis B and C. Perhaps obesity is the greatest threat to our future health, and fatty liver disease, although likely preventable, will probably become the disease that fills the waiting rooms of future hepatologists. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
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页码:1 / 6
页数:5
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