Death warning to young drinkers
Deaths from cirrhosis of the liver are increasing sharply in women after growing
in number among men for some time. The Government's Chief Medical Officer,
Professor Liam Donaldson, has pointed to heavy drinking by young people as
the cause of the alarming rise in cirrhosis cases and adds that females are
showing signs of permanent liver damage at an earlier age.
In his annual report, a summary of "neglected" areas of the nation's health, Professor Donaldson also highlights the need to identify and treat cases of high blood pressure and to give more help to patients with epilepsy. It is, however, the rise in the number of cirrhosis deaths which is a "particular concern", he says.
Cirrhosis, which causes permanent scarring and damage to the liver, is irreversible, although treatment can prevent further degeneration.
The report appears at a time when double the number of 18 to
24-year-old women as men are drinking at or beyond the danger levels. Among
35 to 44-year-olds, there has been an eight-fold increase in cirrhosis deaths
among men and seven-fold among women. "In 2000," Says Professor
Donaldson, "[cirrhosis] killed more men than Parkinson's disease and
more women than cancer of the cervix."
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