health
Everyday symptoms of fatty liver disease now affecting hundreds of thousands more Britons
Jamie Carragher facing HMRC bankruptcy petition over unpaid tax claim
TL;DR
- Diagnoses of MASLD (formerly NAFLD) in the UK have increased fivefold in a decade.
- Recorded diagnoses climbed from 0.02% of adults in 2003 to 2.4% in 2022, affecting around 284,000 people.
- Those overweight, inactive, with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or over 50 are at higher risk.
- Diagnosed individuals were three times more likely to have type 2 diabetes.
- A blood test for liver scarring could aid early detection, but South Asian ethnicities, despite higher risk, were least likely to undergo it.
- Significant diagnostic shortfall exists compared to European prevalence.
- Proactive identification and testing of high-risk groups, including those with type 2 diabetes and obesity, are urged.
- 30% of UK adults were classed as obese in 2024.