DDS Perspective: Time to Get Serious About the Global Pandemic

Excerpt

For many years now, the world has experienced a global pandemic—a disease that can be asymptomatic for some and for others account for significant morbidity and mortality. Indeed, this deadly pandemic’s culprit is responsible for nearly 400 deaths daily in the United States (US) alone [1]. Thirty-eight million adults in the US remain at risk of being affected [1]; and hospitalizations due to this pandemic have doubled in just a few years resulting in an estimated $23 billion in hospital costs [2]. And increasingly, young people and women are at risk [1]. While the World Health Assembly has recommended a global strategy to combat this pandemic [3], countries have only incompletely adhered to guidance. For example, preventive strategies in the US have been offered to only 8% of those most vulnerable to disease [4]. Perhaps these statistics appear familiar because of the COVID-19 pandemic we have battled since 2019; however, what I’ve outlined is the global pandemic that is alcohol-associated liver disease, or alcohol-related, liver disease (ALD). Eliminating the ALD pandemic will require a multifaceted approach involving robust public health policies, enhanced technology and education, and a shift toward therapies that address the early metabolic consequences of the disease. …