Taking action
Health professionals are being asked to raise awareness of liver disease as part of the ‘All Our Health’ initiative led by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). OHID says that “screening and brief intervention for alcohol is effective and cost-effective with a number needed to treat of around 10 (that is, 10 patients need to be treated to have an impact on one person)”.3
Actions can include:
- raising awareness to the risk factors of liver disease
- being proactive and asking people about risk factors
- signposting people to the local services available.
Advice can include encouraging people with diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol to speak to their GP about having a liver function check. People in high-risk groups should also be recommended to be immunised against hepatitis A and B.