Reducing stigma associated with chronic liver disease and expediting diagnosis and referral will take some time but progress is being made, Luxon says.
Transplant hepatologist Dr Bruce Luxon says primary care is essential to making progress against chronic liver disease but doesn't have the resources it needs.
Simplified risk stratification tools for NAFLD, effects of statins on hepatic disease, trends in OHE, and patient perspectives are samples of the noteworthy research areas.
Arun Jesudian, MD, details key findings from a study he recently presented at The Liver Meeting 2023.
TLM 2023: Speech analyzed from a smartphone app recording identified MHE and predicted OHE with results comparable to those from validated assessments.
TLM 2023: Reduce disease stigma and treatment inequality, build awareness for early diagnosis across specialties, support clinicians with accessible tools, and that's a start.
More education that is clear and from reliable sources is needed for patients with a NASH diagnosis and their caregivers throughout the duration of the disease.
One in 5 patients identified as at risk for advanced chronic liver disease had advanced fibrosis and PCP was prompted to refer to hepatology.
TLM 2023: Primary care clinicians exposed to a FIB4-based risk stratification algorithm reported applying it routinely for patients with elevated LFTs after the introduction.
TLM 2023: Over 15 years, decompensated cirrhosis and OHE notably rose among Medicare beneficiaries with cirrhosis, exceeding 40% and 20% in 2020.