Though not as much in the news as cardiac arrest or renal failure, liver ailments are significantly on the rise in the country, which however remain eclipsed due to lack of awareness on preventive or timely intervention.
End-stage liver disorders like cirrhosis, liver cancers, liver damage and liver failure are being widely reported in India due to viruses like Hepatitis A, B, C, excessive alcohol intake, environmental pollution, and an unbalanced diet.
“Though fatty liver cases are generally pervasive, it is an indication of pre-existing diseases or conditions like Hepatitis B, uncontrolled diabetes, thyroid or cholesterol,” explained N. Selvakumar, senior consultant liver transplantation surgeon at Apollo Institute of Liver Sciences, Chennai.
During a media interaction at Apollo Clinic here on Saturday, Dr. Selvakumar said that unlike other organs like eye or heart, a lot of superstition and misinformation is associated with liver transplantation, primarily due to lack of awareness among prospective donors.
“Family members can donate up to 70% of their livers to a kin requiring transplantation, but many feel that such a step will affect them in the long run. Not many know that their liver grows back to its original size in three or four weeks, just like hair or nails,” Dr. Selvakumar explained.
He expressed concern over patients consulting multiple specialists in a bid to avoid surgery, but finally ending up on the operation table at an advanced stage. His colleague Dr. Srikanth announced that Apollo would conduct monthly specialty camps in Tirupati to reach out to the public.
