"Cirrhosis: Just a Disease of Middle-Aged Men?" Women in Their 20s and 30s Also at Risk [Health Talk]

[Financial News] Cirrhosis is widely thought of as a disease affecting middle-aged men who have spent years drinking. But about one in five women admitted to a hospital specializing in alcohol-related diseases have been diagnosed with cirrhosis, including some in their 20s and 30s. Ahead of Liver Day on the 20th, a warning has been issued that binge drinking among young women could threaten liver health.
An internal tally by Dasarang Central Hospital, a Ministry of Health and Welfare-designated hospital specializing in alcohol-related diseases, found that 11 of 54 female patients currently hospitalized there had been diagnosed with cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can have various causes besides drinking, so not all of these cases can be attributed to alcohol. Still, since excessive drinking is a major risk factor for liver damage and cirrhosis, young women also need to be alert to the risks.

Cirrhosis is a disease in which ongoing liver damage causes normal liver tissue to become fibrotic, changing the liver’s structure and function. It can result from various causes, including excessive drinking, hepatitis B and C, and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.
Ahn Min-cheol, head of the Department of Psychiatry at Dasarang Central Hospital, explained, “Alcohol is metabolized mainly in the liver, and acetaldehyde and oxidative stress produced in the process damage liver cells. Early-stage fatty liver can improve with abstinence from alcohol, but once it progresses to cirrhosis, recovery is difficult, and it can lead to serious complications such as ascites, jaundice, and bleeding from esophageal and gastric varices.”
Drinking indicators among young people are generally improving, but binge drinking—consuming a large amount at once—still warrants caution. Women are classified as engaging in monthly binge drinking if they have five or more drinks on a single occasion at least once a month, and as high-risk drinkers if they consume the same amount at least twice a week.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s 2025 Community Health Survey, monthly binge-drinking rates among women were 34.2% for those in their 20s, 26.6% for those in their 30s, and 23.6% for those in their 40s. In particular, the rates for women in their 30s and 40s were higher than in 2019.
Dr. Ahn said, “You shouldn’t take your drinking habits lightly just because you don’t drink every day. It’s important to consider not only how often you drink, but also how much you drink at a time and whether you binge repeatedly. If the habit of drinking a lot in a short time continues, you should review your drinking patterns.”

Liver disease may have no clear symptoms until it has progressed considerably. Alcohol-related liver disease is assessed based on a combination of factors, including the amount and duration of drinking, blood tests, and ultrasound examinations. If binge drinking is repeated, or a health checkup shows elevated liver enzyme levels or fatty liver, it is advisable to consult a medical professional even if there are no symptoms.
Dr. Ahn stressed, “If someone has difficulty controlling their drinking even after being diagnosed with cirrhosis, rather than treating it as a matter of willpower or blaming them by asking, ‘Why did you drink again?’, we should assess whether they also have alcohol use disorder. If alcohol-related liver damage is confirmed, treatment should not stop at reducing drinking; abstinence should be an important treatment principle.”
 
[email protected] Jeong Myeong-jin, Medical Specialist Reporter