Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru has noted that rise in liver diseases in India, especially among the younger age group and the urban poor is due to consumption of unhealthy high-fat food, poor exercising and increasing alcohol abuse.
On the occasion of the World Liver Day observed annually on April 19, the doctors attributed the condition to be largely restricted to men. On the occasion, as many as 32 doctors out of the total 70 working at the Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru pledged to donate their organs, including the liver, to help save lives. They also vowed to create awareness about the increasing incidence of liver diseases in the society.
“Liver diseases are currently among the top 10 causes of death in India, a situation that is going to get worse in the coming years,” said Dr C Vikram Belliappa, consultant surgical gastroenterologist, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru.
WHO estimates about 10 lakh people are diagnosed with liver cirrhosis annually in India. “The average age of liver disease patients is 40-45 years, but now much younger patients are also getting affected due to alcoholism, high fat diet and a lifestyle lacking in exercise. Urban poor are the most hit, though males have a much higher incidence of liver diseases than females,” he added.
“The cure for severe liver diseases is a liver transplant. New approaches such as stem cell therapy is also being researched. Fatigue, jaundice, itching and loss of appetite are some early symptoms of liver diseases, though symptoms usually don’t appear till the disease is well advanced, so early diagnosis is crucial. Prevention is much better than cure,” Dr Dheeraj Karanth C, medical gastroenterologist, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru.
Doctors at our hospital have set an example to practice what they preach by taking a pledge to donate their organs, including liver, to help give a new lease of life to desperate patients waiting for years for an organ transplant, said Dr Somesh Mittal, CEO, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru.