Investigations using transient elastography (Fibroscan) have shown that >20% of young adults in the ‘Children of the 90s’ longitudinal study have fatty deposits on the liver, or steatosis, indicating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Half of those were classified as severe. ~10% of those with NAFLD also had fibrosis, scar tissue in the liver. Severe scarring can cause cirrhosis.
This has the potential to cause major problems in the future, and public health awareness campaigns are needed to alter behaviours which will impact health in the future.
Newspaper article here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/12/experts-warn-of-fatty-liver-disease-epidemic-in-young-people?CMP=share_btn_tw
Published by