Why Is There A Rise In Liver Diseases Among Young People? Doctors are concerned about the significant increase in liver disease among young people.
According to the study, there is an alarming increase in liver-related diseases among patients aged 25 to 34 years. Doctors say heavy drinking causes severe liver damage, causing most people to vomit and cough up blood, which can lead to liver cirrhosis, which mostly affects middle-aged or elderly people.
Liver disease and cirrhosis – significant scarring of the liver – are caused by conditions such as viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and, often, excessive alcohol consumption.
Along with the increase in liver disease and cirrhosis, the disease also increases mortality. Their numbers are skyrocketing among men and women ages 25 to 34, experts say, due to rising rates of liver disease and alcohol use disorders.
Liver disease is also on the rise due to the continued increase in alcohol consumption over the last decade. Additionally, alcohol consumption has historically increased during times of shock and stress, such as the Great Recession, natural disasters, and now the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This trend is of great importance to those of us who treat advanced liver disease,” said Dr. Rita German, a transplant hepatologist at UW Health. “As we see people drinking more alcohol at younger ages, we are also seeing more and more young people developing and dying from liver cirrhosis.”
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people drank 14% more during the pandemic. Women drink 17% more alcohol than before the pandemic. The study found a 41 percent increase in binge drinking (four or more drinks at once) among women.
Health experts say men can safely have two drinks per day or about 14 drinks per week, but women should not have more than one drink per day or seven drinks per week.
DR. Germans are encouraging people to be careful when consuming alcohol, especially if they have drunk heavily since the start of the pandemic. Although a glass of wine with dinner is usually not enough to cause liver damage, he has found in his work on advanced liver disease that reducing wine consumption can have significant health effects. He says it’s important for people who drink alcohol to consult their doctor.
“We want to detect unhealthy alcohol consumption as early as possible before patients develop liver disease,” says Dr. said, German. “We can help you with smoking cessation resources, treatment centers, mental health professionals, and of course medical interventions, but the sooner we know the better.”
UW Health is building a multidisciplinary clinic to address these related trends in the treatment of alcohol-related liver disease and alcohol use disorders.
Here are a few hard facts:
Liver disease is a leading cause of death and morbidity and is increasing in England while declining in our European neighbors.
In England, the number of people dying from underlying causes of liver disease rose by 40% in a decade, from 7,841 to 10,948.
Most deaths from liver disease are due to cirrhosis (hardening and scarring of the liver) or its complications: people die from liver disease at a young age, 90% under 70 and 40% over 40. 10% of adults die in their 40s.
Liver disease is the third leading cause of premature death and loss of working life, after ischemic heart disease and suicide.
Most liver diseases are preventable – only 5% of deaths are due to autoimmune and genetic diseases – more than 90% are due to three main risk factors: alcoholism, viral hepatitis, and obesity.
It is a disease of inequality. Mortality from liver disease in people aged 75 years and younger varies significantly across primary care settings.
In England, people in the poorest fifth are more likely to die from liver disease than people in the richest fifth.
Liver morbidity and mortality are associated with stigma, mainly due to risk factors. This sometimes makes caring for patients and families difficult, particularly when a bereavement occurs.
70% of patients with liver disease die in hospital, and one in five die from five or more hospitalizations in the last year of life, one in five are hospitalized only once, admission and death occur during the first hospitalization, and 4% die.
Death in the emergency room without hospitalization. This reflects the dramatic complications associated with deaths from liver disease. Given these statistics, it is not surprising that liver disease has received significant attention in recent years.
In 2014, the Chief Medical Officer dedicated a chapter to liver disease and recommended the need for public health initiatives and prevention measures that increase public awareness of liver health and risk factors for liver disease.
On October 20, PHE will publish liver disease profiles for local authorities in England. These will support the work of health and social care committees and joint strategic health needs assessments by providing important information on the prevalence of liver disease in their areas.
How alcohol affects the liver:
When you drink alcohol, your liver breaks it down and removes most of it from your blood. What the liver does not excrete is excreted through urine, breath, and sweat. However, too much alcohol can cause fat to build up in the liver, leaving behind harmful toxins. There are different stages of alcoholic liver disease:
Alcoholic fatty liver disease: This is the first stage and occurs when alcohol causes fat to build up in the liver, putting a strain on liver function. There are usually no symptoms, but fatigue and right-sided abdominal pain may occur. Healthy lifestyle changes, such as Avoiding alcohol can help reverse the disease.
