Proportional mortality and years of potential life lost due to liver diseases among agricultural workers, Brazil, 2017 to 2022.

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the profile and calculate the years of potential life lost (YPLL) due to liver diseases in Brazilian agricultural workers from 2017 to 2022. For this, we analyzed microdata available in the Brazilian Mortality Information System considering the underlying cause of death with codes K70-K77 (International Classsification of Disease, 10th revision - ICD-10) as the outcome of interest. Workers' profile was characterized according to sociodemographic variables and Brazilian regions, forming a comparison group with all other Brazilian workers aged from 18-69 years who died in the same period and from the same underlying cause. Calculations of proportional mortality, YPLL rates, and YPLL rate ratios were applied. In the studied period, 15,362 deaths due to liver diseases occurred in Brazilian agricultural workers, with an average age at death of 51.3 years (±10.7), concentrated in K70 - alcoholic liver disease (53.8%). A higher proportional mortality occurred in men (86.2%), Mixed individuals (61.1%), up to age 49 years (40.9%), with ≤ 7 years of education level (52.4%), and residence in the Northeast (56.9%). The sum of YPLL totaled 382,869 years among agricultural workers, with YPLL rate of 4,527 years per 100,000 workers and a YPLL rate ratio 1.45 times higher than the national average. The concentration of deaths due to K70 raises concern due to the potential chronic exposure to alcoholic beverages. These results highlight the early causes of deaths from liver diseases among agricultural workers, especially those in Northeast Brazil and mixed.