Binge drinking and obesity are fuelling a surge in deaths from liver disease, experts have warned.

The number of lives claimed by damaged, diseased and worn-out livers has soared by 60 per cent in only a decade.

Liver disease, including cancer, claimed 9,719 lives in England in 2008 – up from 6,058 ten years earlier, a report by MPs says today.

The fifth biggest killer, it is the only one that is claiming more lives year after year.

Soaring rates of binge drinking, obesity and the viral disease hepatitis C mean the number of deaths is predicted to double in only 20 years.

Alcohol is 75 per cent cheaper now in real terms than in 1980. Heavy drinking can inflame the liver, causing jaundice, and leading to comas and even death. [Read more...]