Liver disease deaths 'up by 25%

Fatal cases of liver disease are rising, according to media reports today. In under a decade there has been a 25% increase in deaths from the condition, with alcohol causing more than a third of total cases. In contrast, other major causes of death, such as heart disease and cancer, have been in decline in recent years.

These disturbing new figures have come from a report by the NHS National End of Life Care Programme, as one of a range of reports looking at the nature of death in England. The report also points out that the vast majority of liver deaths are in people under the age of 70, with liver disease now accounting for 10% of deaths among people in their 40s.

The report also found that more liver deaths occur among men than women and that alcohol-related liver disease deaths are more common in the most deprived areas of England. The report also says that over two-thirds of people with liver disease end up dying in a hospital rather than at home.
What did the report look at?

The new report “Deaths from Liver Disease – implications for end of life care in England”, is reportedly the first to provide a high-level overview of deaths from liver disease in England. It looks at numbers of deaths from liver disease, the underlying causes and how the figures break down by age, sex, region and socioeconomic region.

The NHS National End of Life Care Programme has produced the report as the first in a series on end-of-life care for patients with liver disease. The report also looks at the setting where people with liver disease died, whether at home or in hospital. The primary aim is to help inform decisions on end-of-life care by policy makers, commissioners and providers, as well as to inform patients and carers.

 
What is liver disease?

Liver disease (also called hepatic disease) is a broad term to describe several disorders that affect the liver. The report categorises these into:

    * Alcoholic liver disease: liver damage caused by alcohol misuse and which covers a range of stages and conditions (see below), including fatty liver, hepatitis and cirrhosis.
    * Fatty liver disease: in which there is too much fat in the liver. It is one of the most common forms of liver disease and leads to more advanced conditions such as hepatitis or fibrosis. It can be caused by excess alcohol (leading to alcoholic fatty liver disease) but also other conditions such as diabetes (causing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).
    * Other chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis and fibrosis: these are the result of continuous long-term liver damage. They may