Lack of donor organs and poor access to treatment mean mortality rates for liver disease destined to rise

TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2012 /CNW/ - When you ignore a health issue, it only tends to get worse. Liver disease has been lurking in the dark gaining strength while individuals and governments devote their attention elsewhere. Reports from Statistics Canada and most recently the Canadian Institutes for Health Information (CIHI) however are revealing glimpses of what the future may hold for liver disease patients if action is not taken soon. With rising liver cancer rates and shortages of donor organs, that future looks bleak.

"The most common forms of liver disease - hepatitis B and C, liver cancer and fatty liver disease - are chronic conditions that move slowly and may have few symptoms," says Dr. Morris Sherman, Canadian Liver Foundation Chairman and practicing hepatologist. "In some cases these diseases may not be discovered until they reach an advanced stage when a transplant is the only option. What is more disturbing however is when diseases like hepatitis B or C are diagnosed at an early stage, patients cannot access the treatment they need to avoid the need for a transplant."

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