Alcohol-related liver disease is the leading cause of death from excessive drinking — and while it’s curable in the earliest stages, many people don’t realize they have it until it’s too late to reverse.

Annual deaths caused by the disease are on the rise in the United States, having climbed 39 percent in recent years, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Death rates are highest in men and adults aged 50 to 64, though they are increasing more quickly among women and younger adults.

“People who are drinking are drinking more heavily than they were before, so I think that is the biggest factor,” said Dr. Jessica Mellinger, an assistant professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Michigan Medical School. And, she added, “we’re seeing that for the first time in this country, women are drinking as much as men.”

What is alcohol-related liver disease?

The first stage of the illness is fatty liver disease, or steatosis. This happens when fat starts to accumulate in the liver, which is responsible for metabolizing alcohol. In the second stage, excessive alcohol consumption activates the body’s immune system, causing inflammation in the liver.

“The two big ways that you can damage your liver are by putting fat into it and then by adding inflammation onto the fat,” Dr. Mellinger said.

If that damage continues, scar tissue can build up in the liver, leading to the third stage, cirrhosis. Approximately 20 percent of people with alcohol-related fatty liver disease will progress to cirrhosis.