Burden of liver disease in Europe: Epidemiology and analysis of risk factors to identify prevention policies.

By L. Pimpin, H. Cortez‐Pinto, F. Negro, E. Corbould, J. Lazarus, L. Webber, N. Sheron. Journal of Hepatology, 2018

601 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The burden of liver disease in Europe continues to grow. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of liver diseases and their risk factors in European countries, identifying public health interventions that could impact on these risk factors to reduce the burden of liver disease. As part of the HEPAHEALTH project we extracted information on historical and current prevalence and mortality from national and international literature and databases on liver disease in 35 countries in the World Health Organization European region, as well as historical and recent prevalence data on their main determinants; alcohol consumption, obesity and hepatitis B and C virus infections. We extracted information from peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify public health interventions targeting these risk factors. The epidemiology of liver disease is diverse, with variations in the exact composition of diseases and the trends in risk factors which drive them. Prevalence and mortality data indicate that increasing cirrhosis and liver cancer may be linked to dramatic increases in harmful alcohol consumption in Northern European countries, and viral hepatitis epidemics in Eastern and Southern European countries. Countries with historically low levels of liver disease may experience an increase in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the future, given the rise of obesity across most European countries. Liver disease in Europe is a serious issue, with increasing cirrhosis and liver cancer. The public health and hepatology communities are uniquely placed to implement measures aimed at reducing their causes: harmful alcohol consumption, child and adult obesity, and chronic infection with hepatitis viruses, which will in turn reduce the burden of liver disease.

Subfields: Epidemiology, Hepatology, Pathology and Forensic Medicine

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/243fc3cc4d4d2c2187ecb4a4785440b5e92ff618

How researchers see this paper

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In Epidemiology

1. Z. Younossi
2. P. Golabi
3. James M. Paik
4. Alita Mishra
5. A. Aghemo
6. G. Dusheiko
7. Laurent Castéra
8. A. Berzigotti

In Hepatology

1. Z. Younossi
2. Alita Mishra
3. A. Aghemo
4. G. Dusheiko
5. Laurent Castéra
6. A. Berzigotti
7. M. Puoti
8. J. Pawlotsky

In Pathology and Forensic Medicine

1. Z. Younossi

Citations in the corpus

• EASL recommendations on treatment of hepatitis C - Final update of the series. (2020, background): “HCV infection remains one of the main causes of chronic liver disease worldwide.(1,4) The long-term natural history of HCV infection is highly variable: the hepatic injury can”
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease - A global public health perspective. (2019, background): “In Europe, the HEPAHEALTH project assessed CLD in 35 European countries.(91) It found substantial geographical differences in aetiologies of CLD.”
• Easl Clinical Practice Guidelines (Cpgs) On Non-Invasive Tests For Evaluation Of Liver Disease Severity And Prognosis- 2020 Update. (2021, background): “requires special considerations given the low prevalence in this setting; b) assessment of liver disease severity and prognosis in patients with excessive use of alcohol, since this is an increasing burden worldwide [15]; c) assessment of liver disease severity and prognosis in patients with chronic”
• Changes in the Global Burden of Chronic Liver Diseases From 2012 to 2017: The Growing Impact of NAFLD (2020, background): “(1) The most common and important consequence of CLD is the development of cirrhosis and LC.(5) Recent data suggest increasing rates of LC and cirrhosis in the United States.”