A cross-sectional study of CDC data published in JAMA Network Open showed an increase in the death rate due to alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the US for the second consecutive year, with younger adults topping the list.

The researchers evaluated 343,384 AUD-related deaths from 2012 to 2021 using CDCs National Vital Statistics System and the Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database. 56.0% of those who died were between the ages of 45 and 64, 27.4 % death occurred in 65 and older, and 16.6 % occurred among those aged 25 to 44.

In 2021, in cases where AUD was identified among multiple causes, the death rate was 22% higher than expected (20.0 vs 16.4 per 100,000), while cases, where AUD was listed as the underlying cause, and were 28.8% higher (6.4 vs 5.0 per 100,000). Similarly, AUD-related deaths in 2020 were 24.8 % higher than expected based on trends over the previous eight years (19.7 versus 15.8 per 100,000) and 30.7 % higher in cases where AUD was stated as the underlying cause (6.2 vs 4.8 per 100,000).

Though all demographics observed an increase in AUD-related fatalities during the pandemic, the youngest adults (those ages 25 to 44) experienced the highest increases (40.47% in 2020 and 33.95% in 2021).

From 2012 to 2019, AUD-related mortality increased steadily, both when AUD was reported among many reasons and when it was recognized as the underlying cause. Both men and women died from AUD-related causes. Death due to COVID accounted for only 10% in the study. 

(MedPage Today  May 4, 2022), JAMA Netw Open 2022; DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.10259.