Screening for advanced liver disease in the general population

The burden of cirrhosis is increasing, with a 47% increase in mortality from 2010 to 2021 and the disease is now the second leading cause of working-years lost among Europeans. 1 Tapper EB Parikh ND Diagnosis and management of cirrhosis and its complications: a review. JAMA. 2023; 329: 1589-1602 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar , 2 Karlsen TH Sheron N Zelber-Sagi S et al. The EASL-Lancet Liver Commission: protecting the next generation of Europeans against liver disease complications and premature mortality. Lancet. 2022; 399: 61-116 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar Although cirrhosis often presents with complications such as ascites, bleeding, or liver cancer, it has a long asymptomatic phase, with patients and their clinicians often unaware of their liver disease status. Early detection can forestall the progression of disease and potentially reverse it when linked to subspecialty referral and interventions targeted to the underlying cause, including alcohol cessation therapy, treatment of viral hepatitis, and weight loss. Ideally, early detection is facilitated with a low-cost, point-of-care, open-access, liver risk score that is validated for the general population. Development, validation, and prognostic evaluation of a risk score for long-term liver-related outcomes in the general population: a multicohort studyThe LiverRisk score, based on simple parameters, predicted liver fibrosis and future development of liver-related outcomes in the general population. The score might allow for stratification of individuals according to liver risk and thus guide preventive care. Full-Text PDF