RESIDENTS across the town are being urged to ‘love their liver’ after it was revealed that more than 400 admissions were made at Barnsley Hospital over the latest 12-month period.

NHS South Yorkshire is supporting the ‘Love Your Liver This January’ campaign to put a spotlight on liver disease risk factors and the steps people can take to keep the liver healthy.

It comes after the latest figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show hospital admissions for liver disease across England remain at a record high, with about 85,665 recorded in the year to March 2023 up 51 per cent from ten years prior.

In Barnsley, there were some 435 hospital admissions for liver disease in 2022/23, up from 330 the year before.

It was also an increase from 265 hospital admissions in 2012/13.

All figures are rounded to the nearest five.

Of the hospital admissions across England last year, 27,085 had a primary diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease.

This included 140 in Barnsley.

Dr David Crichton, medical officer at NHS South Yorkshire, said: “Liver disease is a growing concern and is the third leading cause of premature death in the UK.

“One in three people are at risk of liver disease.

“While there are over 100 types of liver disease, with some conditions being caused by genetic and autoimmune factors, a staggering 90 per cent of cases are linked to alcohol consumption, excess body weight, diet and viral hepatitis.

“Unfortunately, in many cases, people with liver disease don’t get symptoms or know there’s a problem until the disease has progressed to a point where it is too late for any effective treatment or intervention.

“However, there are lots of ways you can be proactive in lowering your risk of liver disease by making healthier choices in your day-to-day life such as exercising and eating a well balanced diet.”

Nationally, there were 31,221 deaths due to liver disease among under 75 year olds across 2020 to 2022.

It equated to a mortality rate of 21.1 per 100,000 people.

It is the highest rate since records began in 2001.

In Barnsley, 189 deaths were linked to liver disease across 2020 to 2022.

It meant the area had a mortality rate of 28 per 100,000 higher than the national average.

Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the main drivers of liver disease, but it can also be caused by other factors, including obesity, diabetes and hepatitis.

Local addiction support service Recovery Steps works with around 930 people each year to help them build a healthier relationship with alcohol and protect their liver.

Area manager, Donna Moss, added: “It is the liver’s job to break down alcohol, and when we are taking in more than it can break down for sustained periods of time the liver can become damaged.

“There is a common myth that the liver always heals itself, however this is only true up to a certain point, as once the liver gets to the point of cirrhosis, it is highly unlikely to heal.

“This can significantly increase the risk of liver cancer.

“Here at Barnsley Recovery Steps, we hope to offer interventions before this happens, by increasing knowledge and understanding of alcohol and how it impacts our health, and helping people to develop the tools and their coping skills to achieve their goals.

“We work with people that are drinking at extremely harmful levels, and all the way down to social or binge drinking.

“We offer a wide range of interventions, such as one-to-one support, working on alcohol reduction plans, or towards a medicated detox - we also offer healthcare and clinical appointments to assess the impact of a person’s alcohol use and determine whether medication is needed.”