Liver cirrhosis on the increase

liver411

10 December 2001

Liver cirrhosis on the increase







LONDON



By Vivienne Russell



An increasing number of younger people are being diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, a likely consequence of a rise in binge drinking, according to the chief medical officer.



In his 2001 annual report on public health, Chief Medical Officer Professor Liam Donaldson has highlighted liver cirrhosis as one of five areas in need of strengthened and sustained action.



In 2000, liver cirrhosis killed more UK men than Parkinson’s disease and more women than cervical cancer. Although deaths from liver cirrhosis are increasing in all age groups, the rise is most notable in the younger age group of 35 to 44. Since the early 1970s, deaths from liver cirrhosis in men aged between 35 and 44 have increased eightfold, and in women of the same age group by sevenfold.



The rising death rate is also at odds with what is happening in Europe, where deaths from liver cirrhosis are beginning to decline. Prof Donaldson said the rise in liver cirrhosis in England could be attributed to binge drinking – a habit not found on the continent. Another cause was chronic viral hepatitis, especially hepatitis C, he said. But whatever the cause of liver cirrhosis, its progression was hastened by alcohol consumption.



Prof Donaldson said there was a need for greater awareness about the long-term damage binge drinking could cause, and younger people especially needed to be made aware that if they continue drinking heavily they are likely to become the liver patients of the future.



But he said the government’s message was not one of abstinence and recognised that alcohol is an important part of people’s social life. He said the Department of Health would be working closely with the drinks industry to find ways of conveying health information to consumers, including the possibility of a health warning on bottles and cans of alcohol.



Nigel Hughes, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said the chief medical officer’s report showed that liver cirrhosis was now a “national epidemic”. He called for an increase in resources dedicated to the treatment of liver disease.



“We do not have enough liver specialists, clinics and facilities,” he said. “The British Liver Trust calls upon the government to urgently commit to a liver disease strategy which takes account of the huge contribution from alcohol-related disease.”



© Health Media Ltd 2001