A technique for identifying early liver damage could help improve detection of the deadly condition cirrhosis. Essex University scientists teamed up with a German team to pinpoint a group of biochemical markers that indicate the disease is in its early stages. The markers are made up of debris from damage to proteins, a well-known early sign of cirrhosis. The Journal of Hepatology study could lead to a blood test to detect damage earlier, and stop progression. Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley, who led the research, said: “It is likely that debris from this damage, leaking into the blood, will prove a novel biochemical test for early liver damage.” Cirrhosis kills an estimated 4,000 people in the UK each year. Over the last 20 years, there has been a massive increase in the numbers killed by liver damage, with fatalities among men up 121% since the early 1980s and among women by around 68%. The disease is most commonly associated with alcohol but it can also affect anyone infected with hepatitis C. Up to 15% of chronic alcoholics develop alcoholic cirrhosis, of whom 75% will eventually die through liver damage.
