Belle Vue Clinic has joined hands with Max Hospital, Saket, Delhi, to bring advanced liver care and gastro treatment facilities in Eastern India. This was announced here today by Dr Sanjiv Saigal, Principal Director and Head, Hepatology and Liver Transplant Medicine, Max Hospital, and Shri P Tondon, CEO, Belle Vue Clinic.
In an endeavour to bring awareness regarding the increasing liver diseases and how advanced treatment modalities can be helpful in improving the quality of life, Max Hospital, Saket announced today the launch of its exclusive OPD services for liver related ailments at Belle Vue Clinic.
Dr Saigal expressed concern over the lifestyle of the people and how it can lead to various liver disorders, including liver scarring or liver cirrhosis, fatty liver, hepatitis B & C, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver, drug induced liver diseases, liver cancer, liver transplantation, etc.
The quality of life over the past two decades has significantly improved, but the economic prosperity has led to some lifestyle illnesses, with far-reaching consequences, and increasing health care burden. Changes in lifestyle, obesity and rising incidence of diabetes have contributed to the “lifestyle health crisis”.
Hepatitis B & C, alcohol and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases are among the top causes for liver ailments in India, including West Bengal. Besides, there has been a recent rise in Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI), in the wake of the covid pandemic, which is likely due to the indiscriminate and uncontrolled use of various drugs (both allopathic and complementary and alternative medicines) as immunity boosters.
As per the recent estimates, prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in India accounts for around 9% to 32% of general population with higher prevalence in those with overweight or obesity, diabetes and dyslipidaemia. NAFLD can affect people of any age, including children. This is more commonly being seen in India owing to the changing lifestyle among schoolchildren wherein they spend less time in outdoor activities, coupled with bad eating habits. In most cases, fatty liver disease does not cause any serious problems or prevent liver from functioning normally. But, in up to one-third of patients, it can get worse over time.
“The liver is considered fatty if more than 5% of it is fat. While drinking too much alcohol can lead to fatty liver, in many cases it can also develop in those who do not consume alcohol. In early stages, fatty liver can be asymptomatic. Gradually, the liver will start to swell, and fibrosis accumulates. As the disease progresses, fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis or even liver cancer. Once cirrhosis develops, the liver can fail and the patient may need liver transplantation. Identifying this problem at the asymptomatic stage gives an opportunity to halt progression or even cure completely. The challenge is to bring such people to medical attention”, said Dr Saigal. “Alcohol is a direct hepatotoxic agent and those who have pre-existing liver diseases are more prone to the toxic effects of alcohol. Alcoholic liver disease is among the top three indications for liver transplantation in our country.” he added.
“It is our ongoing endeavour to provide the masses with access to top medical facilities, along with raising awareness regarding liver ailments. We strive to raise awareness about liver disease and its direct effect on the normal day-to-day functioning of an individual. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a distinct hepatic condition and one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease in India and globally, and can severely affect the population of all age brackets. With awareness sessions among the masses, we hope we can help people lead a healthy lifestyle”.
