GPs need to prepare for a liver disease ‘epidemic’, says leading hepatologist
Deaths set to double by 2030
Deaths from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are set to nearly double over the next decade, hepatologists warn.
Even if obesity rates stabilise, NAFLD cases are likely to rise 25% by 2030, according to a modelling study.
Rates of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) will rise by 40% and the rate of decompensated cirrhosis by 85%, they predict.
The researchers, led by the University of Western Australia, say liver-related deaths among people with NAFLD will rise by 90%, to a peak of 3200 in 2030, with a culminative total of almost 30,000 deaths in the 2020s.
