Independant (UK); Maya Oppenheim; 15-01-2024;
‘There is always a gap there but the gap is closing, and that is really concerning’
Debbie Shawcross, a professor of hepatology and chronic liver failure at King’s College London’s Institute of Liver Studies, said liver disease is a particular problem in female patients.
“Women tend to present with more severe liver disease, particularly alcohol-related hepatitis, and do so after a shorter period of excessive drinking and at a lower daily alcohol intake than men,” she said. “This can be accounted for by differences in body size and composition – less muscle mass.”
Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of the charity Alcohol Change, claimed that the main factor causing the surge is the “incessant marketing of drinks towards women”, as he called for stricter regulation of alcohol advertising.
Abigail Wilson, from WithYou, a drug, alcohol and mental health charity, described the rise in women dying from alcohol-related liver disease as “very concerning” as she argued that alcohol is as damaging as heroin and crack cocaine. “Women generally are less likely to die of alcohol-related causes than men. There is always a gap there, but the gap is closing, and that is really concerning.”