A SOUTHAMPTON doctor has helped to unearth a liver disease epidemic that has hit the UK.

Dr Nick Sheron, who runs the liver unit at Southampton General Hospital, worked on a new study that shows deaths from liver disease in under-65s have increased by a massive 500 per cent since 1970.

Cheap alcohol and rising obesity have been blamed, with the study finding three-quarters of all liver disease deaths to be alcohol-related.

It is known as a silent killer because it has few symptoms and kills one in four people on their first hospital admission.

Dr Sheron said that GPs are not picking up the majority of cases because their tests are “outdated”.

He said: “Three-quarters of liver disease is not being picked up. GPs are using outdated technology and tests that don’t work – they think they work but they don’t.”

Daily Echo:

Dr Sheron (above) , also a senior lecturer at the University of Southampton, added that most drinkers will quit when presented with hard evidence of liver damage.

He said: “If you give feedback that their liver is scarring, 65 per cent will stop, compared to 30 per cent if you just give advice.”

Dr Sheron worked with colleagues from across the country on the study, which was published in The Lancet medical journal.

It set out ten key recommendations to try to turn the situation around, including:

  • Calling for new Government regulations to reduce sugar content in food and drink to tackle obesity
  • Putting health warning labels on alcohol and restricting alcohol advertising
  • Create 30 specialist regional liver units in hospitals across the UK

The study also calls for the NHS to front a national campaign to increase awareness of liver disease.

According to the Office of National Statistics, liver disease is one of the biggest causes of death in the under-65s, with almost 11,000 dying in England and Wales in 2012.

The Alcohol Health Alliance group, co-founded by Dr Sheron, has called for a minimum price per unit to be introduced for alcohol.