A team of researchers have recently developed a method that may be able to detect liver disease decades before it reaches a fatal stage. Researchers from the University of Dundee and NHS Tayside came together to create the technique that could potentially be lifesaving.
In the UK, liver disease is a huge threat as it is the second most common cause of death among people below the age of 65. Researchers reveal routine blood tests conducted to asses liver function show abnormal liver function. However, the complex reason for the result hadn't been heavily investigated. That is why liver disease is not diagnosed at an early stage.
"Around 800 people die from liver disease every year in Scotland and the wards are full of liver failure in ways that they just weren’t two decades ago,”John Dillon, MD, a consultant in gastroenterology and hepatology, told a news portal. Adding, “Liver disease is a silent killer, it creeps up on you. So it is crucial that we find a way to detect it earlier and switch off this ticking time bomb.”
The new method, known as the intelligent liver function test (iLFT), was developed using the automated Blood Sciences laboratory infrastructure at Ninewells Hospital (UK).For the study, the team tested iLFT on patients' blood sample to see if it could detect any abnormalities or liver disorder. The results showed a 44% increase in the diagnosis of liver disease. This meant patients were able to receive treatment early before it became fatal.
“In looking at a large set of patient data from Tayside we noticed abnormal liver function tests popping up that were not fully investigated,” Dillon told a news portal. Adding, “All too often we were seeing patients dying of liver failure who had abnormal Liver Function Tests recorded years before when something could have been done. This stopped us in our tracks. We asked ourselves if these had been detected earlier, what difference could it have made?
Dillon further explained: "By applying variables to the existing IT systems in the lab, we were able to develop a system that detects the early warning signs of liver disease and which can then give GPs the tools they need to make a solid diagnosis and begin treatment plans. More importantly, our modification allows us to immediately differentiate between alcoholic or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the more rare diseases such as autoimmune liver diseases, Hepatitis C, or metabolic diseases, meaning those who need immediate assistance receive it faster.”
The test was first launched in NHS Tayside. Since then more2,500 patients were tested and close to 30 per cent of the group showed abnormal results. “We’ve been predicting that a liver failure epidemic has been coming but now we are seeing hard-evidence that it is already here,” Dillion told a news portal. Adding, “We hope that, with continued tests, people drinking too much or eating high-fructose sugars can make the lifestyle changes now that will reduce the number of those coming into the hospital with fatal liver failure in the years to come.”
The study was originally published in the Journal of Hepatology.
