Wales praised for prioritising liver disease as charity warns of 'silent killer'
Wales has been praised for its approach to managing liver disease and liver cancer effectively compared to other parts of the UK.
A study led by the British Liver Trust examined data from health bodies across the UK.
Only one in five (20%) had a named person responsible for liver disease, while in Wales the figure was 86%.
Researchers said the figures indicate the "priority given to liver disease".
They also found wide variation across different health organisations when it came to following gold standard treatment.
The team praised Welsh health authorities and said that the results should be a "catalyst for change" in other regions.
The research, published in the British Journal of General Practice, found that three quarters of areas in the UK have little or no formal structures in place for detecting and managing liver disease and cancer.
The charity warned that three in four liver disease patients in the UK are diagnosed when it is too late for effective treatment.
British Liver Trust CEO Pamela Healy said: “Shockingly, deaths due to liver disease have more than doubled in the past 20 years and the condition is expected to overtake heart disease as the biggest cause of premature death in the UK in the next few years.
“Obesity, alcohol and viral hepatitis are the three main risk factors for preventable liver disease.
“We need to take urgent action to stop this silent killer in its tracks.
“We now need to take what’s working well in those areas with good liver patient care and apply them in others so that every person with liver disease gets the best possible care, no matter where in the UK they live.”