Guntur: Liver diseases are the third most frequent cause of death in India. So, each one of us probably either knows someone who has had a liver disease or someone who is going to get it in their lifetime. Given current available medical techniques, over half of these deaths can be prevented, if detected early. These two simple facts is the reason why we all need greater awareness about liver diseases.

As a continuing effort being the pioneers and leaders in treating liver diseases, Global Hospitals, Hyderabad has undertaken a campaign to raise awareness about liver diseases across the state.

Addressing a press conference, Dr. K. Ravindranath, Chairman & Managing Director, Global Hospitals Group, “Global Hospitals Group as a multi-super specialty, tertiary care hospital chain is India’s largest multi-locational, multi-organ transplant centre, which performs liver, heart, lung, kidney organ transplants. The Group till date has performed close to 900 liver transplants and in Hyderabad unit alone we have completed close to 350 transplants including patients from Guntur and Krishna District. We have been consistently performing successfully, a large number complex liver surgeries and transplants. We have the largest team of specialists, comprised of Hepatologists, Liver transplant surgeons, Critical Care Specialists and Anesthetists, who are supported by world class infrastructure and technology and a strong commitment to deliver exceptional patient care.”

“Our surgeons perform the widest variety of transplants procedures on both adult and pediatric patients such as split liver, auxiliary liver, swap liver. These are performed through both cadaveric organ and live related donor programmes. I am grateful to patients and their family for the confidence and trust reposed in us. I am also grateful to the Media in enhancing awareness amongst people about liver diseases, causes & prevention and transplantation as a unique solution to save patients with end-stage liver diseases,” Dr. Ravindranath added.

Dr. Tom Cherian, Head of Liver transplantation at Global Hospital, Hyderabad said “Three hundred transplants is an important milestone, as it highlights the huge experience that this centre has had with patients with liver disease. Such experience is crucial to reducing the complications arising out of transplantation and therefore improving success rates. Dr. Cherian added that technically ‘we now perform in Hyderabad all surgical transplant procedures that would be available to patients with liver disease anywhere in the world and have results that are equal to western transplant centres’.

On the occasion Dr Cherian also highlighted his interest in acute liver failure and said “We have now set up an advanced acute liver failure unit to look after and transplant patients with sudden liver failure. The saddest part about acute liver failure is that it has a 70-80% chance of death without transplantation once liver coma has been established. Transplantation completely changes this statistic and creates an 80% chance of surviving! Moreover we are one of very few centers in the country who deal with transplantation of children with end stage liver disease, who without treatment have a very short and miserable life. I am passionate about pediatric liver transplantation as amazingly with transplantation, these children can go on to lead normal lives and become productive adults” Dr. Tom Cherian added.

India is home to 11 per cent of the world’s patients affected with chronic Hepatitis B and the number of deaths from liver cancer or cirrhosis each year range between 100,000 and 200,000. It is estimated that about two lakh people are diagnosed with end stage liver disease each year and about 0.02 per cent population (25000) need liver transplants every year.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Dharmesh Kapoor, Senior Hepatologist, Global Hospitals, said, “At Global Hospitals Hyderabad we have a very good and effective liver transplant program. Our liver transplant program is the only program in the country where ten year or more follow-up is available for transplant recipients. The commonest indication for transplant patient is advanced liver disease or cirrhosis, followed by those who have liver cancer and for whom the best treatment is liver transplant. About five to ten per cent of liver transplants happen for acute liver failure.”

“It is important to note that some liver problems can be prevented by vaccination and some just by leading a healthy lifestyle. Hepatitis B is one such example, which is the commonest cause of chronic liver disease in India and even thought the vaccine is very cheap, but even then we do not have it in our universal immunization program. Coming to the disorders of lifestyle, the most common disease we see is fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease is now emerging as the commonest cause of chronic liver disease across the world. So this is something that is clear danger for everyone. Fatty liver disease is a preventable disease and in the initial stages it just needs a lifestyle modification. The second liver disease that can be easily prevented is alcohol related liver injury. Even this is a very common problem in our country,” he added.

According Dr. Kapoor, in the western world, the transplants due to end-stage alcoholic liver disease are coming down but in our country and in our program we are transplanting at least a quarter of the patients for end-stage liver disease due to alcohol.