21.11.12
Preventable liver disease death on the increase – CMO
Comprehensive action is needed now to tackle the increase of liver disease, the Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has stated in her first annual report.
The report found that England is one of the few EU countries where a major cause of preventable death is on the increase. From 2000 to 2009, deaths from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in the under-65s increased by around 20%, whilst it fell in most other European countries.
All three major causes of liver disease are preventable: obesity, undiagnosed infection and harmful drinking.
Around a third of all adults have three or more risk factors for poor health, such as being overweight or having high cholesterol, the report suggests.
It recommends better access to diabetes care, for Public Health England to ensure capacity to capture early data on long-term conditions is strong and for the new health systems to work closely together to increase survival and reduce mortality. Health professionals must also focus on tackling risk factors together rather than individually.
Professor Dame Sally Davies said: “I have done a comprehensive analysis of the state of the country’s health, and found some areas where we are doing really well and others where there is still a lot of improvement needed.
“I was struck by the data on liver disease particularly. This is the only major cause of preventable death that is on the increase in England that is generally falling in other comparable European nations. We must act to change this.
“I strongly believe that data and scientific evidence should be at the heart of policy making and advice to Government and have reflected this in the Annual Report. Data should be used to inform our action on public health and to evaluate the effectiveness of that action.
“I hope the data that I have provided will become a major tool for the Department of Health, Public Health England and local authorities as they draw up their strategies for improving public health.”
Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians, added: “We echo the CMO’s concerns, which could not come at a better time as we await the Government’s decision on the most appropriate level for a minimum price for alcohol. These figures underline the urgent need for a 50p minimum unit price for alcohol, which would hit younger drinkers and heavy drinkers, while not greatly affecting moderate drinkers.”
The report is at: www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/11/cmo-annual-report
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