Experts warn on UK’s burden of liver disease in

Top experts warn today that rising numbers of deaths from liver disease will be unavoidable without radical improvements in treatment and tougher Government moves to combat excessive drinking and obesity.
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In a major new commission by the Lancet medical journal, doctors and scientists call for a radical scaling-up of liver disease treatment and detection facilities in the UK, which has one of the worst rates of death from liver disease in Europe.

In comments likely to be seen as highly-critical of Government policy, it calls for action on minimum alcohol pricing, warnings on alcohol packaging and regulation of sugar content in food and drinks - all of which have been rejected by the coalition.

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The UK is the only country in western Europe except Finland where cases of liver disease have increased in the past three decades. Deaths from the disease for those under 65 have increased by almost 500 per cent since 1970.

Prof Roger Williams, director of the Institute of Hepatology in London, who led the commission, said: “There is a human, social, and financial imperative to act now if the UK’s burden of liver disease and all its consequences are to be tackled and the NHS is not to be overwhelmed by the cost of treating advanced stage liver disease.”

Although one in 10 people in the UK suffer liver disease, the commission finds early detection through GPs is “virtually non-existent”, even though the disease is much more effectively treated if identified early.

Liver disease is closely linked to deprivation, with parts of the North West having four times as many deaths as more affluent areas.

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The commission found specialist treatment for advanced liver disease is unevenly distributed, with some of the areas most badly affected having the worst provision, leading to a postcode lottery for patients resulting in “unacceptable rates of death and illness in many regions”.

As well as improving treatment and detection services, the commission says a commitment is needed from UK policymakers to address lifestyle factors leading to most deaths and illness from liver disease, especially excessive alcohol use and obesity. This includes recommendations to implement minimum pricing for alcohol, prominent health warnings on alcohol packaging, and regulation of sugar content in food and soft drinks.

Prof Williams said nobody should in any doubt about “unacceptable levels of premature death and the overall poor standards of care being afforded to liver patients”.

He added: “The good news is that if our recommendations – many of which will require additional government regulatory action – are followed, deaths from liver disease will fall, with profound benefits in health and social wellbeing and economic productivity, as well as reduced costs for the NHS.”