The aim of the present study was to define prognosis and life expectancy in patients with chronic liver disease of different etiologies and to relate them to an age-and sex-matched normal population.

After a follow-up of 15 years, life expectancy of 620 patients with chronic liver disease was retrospectively calculated and compared with an age-and sex-matched normal population.

Among patients with cirrhosis, prognosis was dependent upon the Child classification (P=0.001).

Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and fatty liver disease were younger (P=0.01) and had a lower life expectancy than patients with other causes of chronic liver disease (P=0.004).

Patients with hepatitis B and hepatitis C cirrhosis showed a comparable prognosis and a significantly lower life expectancy than the age-and sex-matched population.

Cryptogenic and autoimmune liver diseases showed a comparable life expectancy but a significantly shorter life expectancy than the normal population.

In patients with alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency-associated cirrhosis, a high viral coinfection rate was found (P=0.01).

For patients with noncirrhotic hemochromatosis, prognosis was poorer than that for the age-and sex-matched population.

In patients with asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis, chronic persistent hepatitis B, and alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency without cirrhosis, life expectancy was equal to that of the normal population.