Binge-drinking leads to 25 per cent rise in liver disease

Alcohol is the main factor in the majority of cases, according to a new report, along with obesity, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. More people in their 40s also suffer from liver disease than ever before, with men facing higher risks – particularly in the north of the country. The figures, which one expert  described as ‘stark reading’, compare badly to other major causes of death. Heart disease, for example, has been in decline for several years. The study, by the National End Of Life Care Intelligence Network, found that 90 per cent of all people dying from liver disease are under the age of 70. In 2001, 9,000 people died from the condition but by 2009 that had risen to more than 11,500 people. Sixty per cent of those were men and 40 per cent were women. Death rates were highest in the north west of the country, with 24 people out of every 100,000 affected. The area with the lowest rate of liver disease was the east of England with 13 deaths per 100,000 people. Andrew Langford, from the British Liver Trust, said: ‘Liver disease has remained the poor relation in comparison to other big killers, yet it is the only one on the rise. ‘We need to identify patients early and invest in prevention strategies that will have a serious impact such as alcohol pricing, taxing high fat foods and testing for viral hepatitis.’ And Prof Martin Lombard, national clinical director for liver disease, said: ‘This report makes stark reading. The key drivers for increasing numbers  of deaths from liver disease are all  preventable, such as alcohol, obesity, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. ‘We must focus our efforts on them and tackle this problem sooner rather than later.’