NICE recommends that people who drink too much should be sent for a liver scan

Posted on: 20th December 2016

People who drink too much should be sent for scans to detect early liver disease, says the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Almost 1.9 million harmful drinkers in England could be sent for scans for cirrhosis by their GPs to detect disease early so treatment and lifestyle changes are more effective.

A draft quality standard out for consultation advises GPs to send people for scans for cirrhosis if men are drinking more than 50 units per week or 22 pints and women are drinking more than 35 units per week or 3 ½ bottles of wine.

Access to the two recommended tests, transient elastography and acoustic radiation force impulse imaging is currently varied across England, whilst the first is available in at least 120 UK hospitals, the latter is a newer technology that is not as widespread.

Andrew Langford, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust, said

"Anyone drinking more than the recommended guidelines on a regular basis is at risk of damaging their liver from too much alcohol and additionally if they are overweight then they have the" double whammy" of putting their liver at risk. In the UK we have an ever increasing epidemic of liver disease and any opportunity, including screening with fibroscan, to find liver damage as early as possible should be encouraged so that there is an opportunity to stop any more harm and potentially reverse any damage."

Professor Gillian Leng, Deputy Chief Executive of NICE, said:

“Many people with liver disease do not show symptoms until it is too late.

If it is tackled at an early stage, simple lifestyle changes or treatments can be enough for the liver to recover. Early diagnosis is vital, as is action to both prevent and halt the damage that drinking too much alcohol can do.

This draft quality standard makes a number of important suggestions to improve care for those with liver disease from offering advice to less invasive testing.

We would welcome comments from anyone who has been affected by liver disease during our consultation.”

NICE is also calling for all adults and young people with cirrhosis to go for ultrasound scans every 6 months for hepatocellular carcinoma, in a bid to improve earlier diagnosis.

The draft quality standard also supports improvements in treatment to prevent vein bleeds in some adults and young people with cirrhosis. An estimated 2,687 people could be eligible for treatment each year.

Liver disease is the fifth largest cause of death in England and Wales. It is estimated over 4,000 people die from cirrhosis every year and 700 will need a transplant.

Consultation on the draft quality standard for liver disease is open until 2 February 2017.

Media Coverage links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38364331

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gps-will-order-liver-scan-if-you-have-two-drinks-a-night-98t9lqb2r

You can hear Andrew Langford discussing the initiative on the Vanessa Feltz breakfast show at 35mins: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04kmz7k