Love your liver collaboration

Faculty researchers have partnered with the British Liver Trust to bring its Love your Liver roadshow to people across the UK.

The tour, which also included stops in Isle of Wight, Newcastle and Hull, aims to raise awareness and identify those most at risk of liver disease.

Across the three locations, around 200 people received free liver health checks, advice on lifestyle changes and scans to measure potential damage to the liver.

Thirty-two cases of liver disease that were previously not diagnosed were found thanks to the checks and these people were referred directly to local liver services for ongoing care.

Dr Kate Glyn-Owen, Associate Professor of Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine, took part in the roadshow and said: “We are very excited to be working with the British Liver Trust, and with colleagues in Newcastle and Hull, to bring the Love your Liver roadshow to coastal communities.

“We are particularly excited to bring the roadshow to the Isle of Wight for the first time. We were able to engage the public throughout the roadshows, talking to people, their careres and people who work with at risk people about liver disease.”

The roadshow on the Isle of Wight was funded by an award from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and was part of the Liver Champions research project, which aims to bring together those who are working with, and to listen to the views and experiences of, people at risk of liver disease to understand how they can help. The team is particularly focusing on coastal populations, where there may be high rates of liver disease which are often not represented in research.

Liver disease is a significant public health issue in the UK. Nine in ten cases are preventable, but more than 11,000 people die from the condition each year.

The main causes of liver disease are obesity, alcohol misuse and an undiagnosed hepatitis infection.