Male mortality at age 35-59 years for liver cirrhosis and
three other common diseases: United Kingdom, 1950-2007
Comment: In early middle-aged British men, liver cirrhosis has been a more common cause of death than lung cancer since about 2004.
Mortality from lung cancer has fallen by more than two-thirds since the mid-1960s (avoiding smoking "works", as does quitting), while cirrhosis mortality has increased more than sevenfold. Most liver
cirrhosis in Britain is caused by alcohol.
Method: Mortality rates calculated using data from the World Health Organization and the
United Nations Population Division,
then standardised for age (by taking unweighted averages of component rates) and smoothed (as weighted 3-year moving averages). For details, see
the Info page.
Caution: Trends can reflect not only changes in disease occurrence or treatment, but also changes in how a cause of death is
defined or coded.
Comment: In early middle-aged British men, liver cirrhosis has been a more common cause of death than lung cancer since about 2004. Mortality from lung cancer has fallen by more than two-thirds since the mid-1960s (avoiding smoking "works", as does quitting), while cirrhosis mortality has increased more than sevenfold. Most liver cirrhosis in Britain is caused by alcohol.
Method: Mortality rates calculated using data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Division, then standardised for age (by taking unweighted averages of component rates) and smoothed (as weighted 3-year moving averages). For details, see the Info page.
Caution: Trends can reflect not only changes in disease occurrence or treatment, but also changes in how a cause of death is defined or coded.