A recent report found that GPs across the UK are failing to detect the early stages of liver disease. The report, which was published in The Lancet, highlighted that the UK has one of the worst death rates for liver disease in Europe. The report states that liver disease is the third most common cause of premature death in the UK, with the number of deaths only rising every year.

Leading medical experts said that the “virtually non-existent” detection of the disease is partly down to doctors often using “outdated” blood tests for diagnosis. Blood tests of this sort often provide an inaccurate representation of health. GP leaders have agreed that doctors need improved access to diagnostic tools.

“Deaths will continue to rise until there are improvements”

The report included some NHS figures, showing that liver disease was the cause behind 57,682 hospital admissions and, just under, 11,000 deaths in 2012 alone. The report says that the only way to cut these deaths is through early detection and diagnosis.

Leader of the research and the director of the Institute of Hepatology in London, Prof Roger Williams, said: “The rising rates of mortality from liver disease over the past three decades are a terrible reflection on the UK … Deaths will continue to rise until there are radical improvements in treatment services.”

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