Wayne David MP has hosted an event in the House of Commons where over 60 Members of Parliament took the chance to check their liver health.

The event was run by the British Liver Trust, the UK’s leading liver charity, and was part of Love Your Liver Awareness Month. Liver disease is the third leading cause of deaths in people under the age of 75 and mortality rates have doubled in the last two decades.

Wayne David is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Liver Disease and Liver Cancer. He hosted the drop-in clinic to give MPs the opportunity to have a non-invasive liver scan, which measures the stiffness of the liver. MPs also had the chance to find out about the excellent work the British Liver Trust does to try to improve early diagnosis of liver disease and liver cancer.

The recent rise in liver disease cases is directly linked to liver cancer, which is now the fastest rising cause of cancer death. During Love Your Liver Awareness Month, the British Liver Trust have been raising liver health awareness and encouraging people to take steps to keep their liver healthy.

Wayne David said, “I am delighted that over 60 of my Parliamentary colleagues took the opportunity to get their liver health checked and to learn more about the British Liver Trust’s campaigns and support their work.

“The APPG on Liver Disease and Liver Cancer have been working with the British Liver Trust to help improve liver disease prevention and promote its early diagnosis. 90% of liver disease is preventable, and if caught at an early stage, liver damage can often be reversed. At the moment, the alarming reality is that three-quarters of people diagnosed with cirrhosis are found when it is too late for effective intervention or treatment. One in four people diagnosed with liver disease late in hospital sadly die within a couple of months.

“I would encourage people to check their own liver health by having a look at the free screener on the British Liver Trust website: www.britishlivertrust.org.uk/screener”