Liver Diseases: A Huge European Health Burden, But Some Trends are Positive
29 Million EU Citizens (6%) Have Liver Diseases, 5th Most Common Cause of Death
Yearly, Liver Cancer Alone Takes 40,000 Lives; Alcohol Abuse Takes 13,000
Number With Fatty Liver Disease Stable or Growing; Viral Hepatitis Declines
MILAN, April 23/PRNewswire/ -- More than 6,000 physicians and scientists from around the
world gathered today in this historic Italian city to attend the opening
sessions of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study
of the Liver (EASL), which runs until April 27th. Not surprisingly, several
of the first presentations focused on trends in the prevalence of each of the
major liver diseases, including continuing declines in new cases of hepatitis
B and C, but stability or increases in fatty liver disease due either to
excessive consumption of alcohol or non-alcoholic causes (NAFLD -
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).
Hepatologists (liver disease specialists) study and treat a
variety of acute and chronic conditions affecting this largest internal organ
of the body. The acute category includes diseases that typically result from
inflammation or infection due to injurious agents such as viruses, alcohol,
and drugs. The most prominent conditions - each of which may arise in an
acute form but then progress to a chronic state -- are alcoholic liver
disease; hepatitis B, C, and D; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD);
and NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, the most severe subset of NAFLD).
The transition from an acute to a chronic state occurs when
the patient fails to recover and the acute infection or disease produces
ongoing damage to the liver. Cirrhosis - which refers to the death of liver
cells, altered cell regeneration, deposition of fibrous scar tissue, and
ultimately the impairment of liver function - represents the final stage of
many chronic liver diseases. Cirrhosis can only partially be reversed, but
treatments can stop or slow its progression. When uncontrollable
complications of cirrhosis occur, or when damage precludes sufficient liver
function, a liver transplant becomes necessary. Cirrhosis is the major risk
factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a primary
cancer of liver cells, which may also require transplantation.
Estimates suggest 10 million carriers of viral hepatitis in
Europe, of which over 8 million are infected with HCV. Although statistics
vary widely by country, HCV accounts for a large (or in some countries,
majority) proportion of all cases of cirrhosis and HCC. Although precise
figures are not available, alcoholic liver disease is a growing problem in
both Western and Eastern Europe, in part because of changing lifestyles and
the increasing numbers of women and adolescents who drink to excess (a
problem that in the past was largely a phenomenon of adult males). The
Dionysos study, conducted in Northern Italy, reported that 4% of the
population had alcoholic liver disease of varying severity. Alcoholic liver
disease is the second most common indication for liver transplantation, after
HCV. NAFLD and NASH denote fatty infiltration of the liver that are not due
to excessive alcohol, and are related instead to insulin resistance, type 2
diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome. These abnormalities are now
receiving considerable attention not only because they may progress to liver
cirrhosis, but also as additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
The best current estimates suggest that in the general population NAFLD can
be found in 3% to 24% of adults.
Despite improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, the
overall costs of liver disease remain very high because of an increase
prevalence of selected conditions, and the common progression to a chronic
state possibly leading to life-threatening complications.
About EASL
The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)
aims to promote investigation into liver disease and improve the treatments
that currently exist for these conditions. The association, through its
annual meetings, seeks to inform and educate both the scientific community as
well as society in general about the increasing occurrence of liver diseases
along with the importance of understanding these conditions in order to treat
and prevent them. Since its creation in 1966, the EASL congress has been
hosted in 20 different European countries. Currently the association has over
1400 members and the annual congress attracts over 6000 delegates from over
65 countries each year.
Source: EASL - European Association for the Study of the Liver
For more information: Carolina Annand / Karine Elkobbi / Melisa Corrigan, carolinaannand@eurorscg.com / karine.elkobbi@eurorscg.com /, melisa.corrigan@eurorscg.com, Tel. +33-617-43-03-38 / +33-6-61-17-44-77 / +39-328-411-01-38, Euro RSCG Life
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