Liver disease claims over 10,000 lives every year in the UK according to the company, and is the second leading cause of premature death in the country, as well as being the only major non-communicable disease where death rates are rising.
The late detection of chronic liver disease increases the chance of complications such as liver cancer, liver failure and therefore the need for transplants. In the UK, liver cancer has the largest annual percentage increase for incidence and the highest average annual increase in mortality for people aged between 35 and 69 years.
The problem is that chronic liver disease is challenging to diagnose early. It often has no symptoms until a late stage, when treatments are limited and when care places a larger burden on the health system.