Why we need a national strategy for liver disease

Abstract

For the last 10 years the British Association for the Study of the Liver and the British Society of Gastroenterology Liver Section have been campaigning for greater recognition of liver disease as an important priority for the NHS. Deaths from liver disease are escalating at a frightening rate (Figure 1) (British Association for the Study of the Liver, 2009). Based on current trends, the death rate from liver disease will exceed cardiac deaths by 2030. This needs to be reversed before we get to this ridiculous scenario - over 95% of all liver diseases are entirely preventable or treatable, and deaths from liver disease occur at an average age of 55 years rather than ~82 years for cardiac disease or stroke. To stop this we need to reduce the rising tide of alcoholic liver disease and fatty liver disease, and actively treat the increasing number of patients with chronic hepatitis B and C

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ORCID for Nick Sheron: orcid.org/0000-0001-5232-8292

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