Liver disease in Britain nearly doubles

UK officials stated early in July 2005, that excessive drinking in Britain has resulted in much more liver disease, with cases nearly doubling in less than 10 years. The effect of heavy drinking, which starts in many people’s teen years, and continues into their 20s and 30s, is having a huge impact on liver health.
Many doctors have said they are seeing a degree of liver disease, previously only seen in patients in their 50s and 60s, now in patients in their 20s and 30s. This trend is not only visible in the UK, but all over Europe, Australia and America.
In-patient hospital care for liver patients rose from 10,903 cases in 1996-97 to 20,779 in 2003-04, according to UK government figures. It is estimated that 2 million Americans suffer from alcohol-related liver disease.
This upturn in alcoholic liver disease is a huge drain on health resources in the countries involved. Treating liver disease is estimated to cost the UK government health service $124 million a year. In Australia, the social cost of alcohol misuse in 1998/99 was estimated at $7.5 billion