Historically, liver disease primarily impacted older men. But over the last several years, doctors say they’ve seen a sharp increase in liver disease, caused by excessive drinking, among younger women under the age of 40. And with alcohol use on the rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this shift is becoming even greater cause for concern.
Dr. Jessica Mellinger, a researcher at the University of Michigan, has been tracking the numbers and has seen a 30 percent increase in hospitalizations for alcoholic liver disease since the start of the pandemic.
Get the full story from NPR here.