Liver Health Clinic

Is your liver okay?

The liver can become damaged due to a number of different issues. Although alcohol is one risk factor (and perhaps the first one most people will think of when liver problems are mentioned) we know that other issues and factors can also result in liver damage including diabetes, obesity, infections, diet and lifestyle choices.

Liver damage does eventually show up in blood tests however by that point the liver can, in some patients, show permanent scarring and damage. If liver issues are caught early it is possible (in many cases) for them be reversed by resolving the underlying issue. This is not always the case if the problem is not detected until the liver is significantly damaged.

One of the main ways of checking liver health is through a special ultrasound called a “Fibroscan”. The Fibroscan looks for evidence of fatty deposits within the liver as well as fibrosis (scarring). It is a simple, painless 10 minute scan giving immediate information on liver health. Normally a Fibroscan would only be offered to those with abnormal liver blood tests and it would require a formal referral to the Liver clinic at the hospital and often multiple out-patient appointments.

Nowadays, however, there is a move towards screening at-risk people for the first signs of a liver issue by offering a Fibroscan to people at increased risk. There are a number of private providers now offering Fibroscans in the community however they typically cost many hundreds of pounds (figures around £500 not being uncommon).

Fibroscans are also available through the British Liver Trust “Love Your Liver” Roadshow.  The Roadshowtours the country offering scans. The British Liver Trust state that around 1 in 10 patients attending their roadshow show signs of possible liver damage and 1 in 40 have advanced levels of liver damage.

We are working with Royal Free Hospital to run a pilot service offering Fibroscans through the NHS to patients at increased risk to detect the first signs of an issue with the liver. The scans will be occurring outside West Hampstead Medical Centre in a specially adapted vehicle. Appointments are only available to those that have been randomly selected from the eligible West Hampstead Medical Centre patient list and can only be booked using the special booking link sent to invited patients. Patients are selected from the “at risk” group randomly and it is unfortunately not possible to book in patients that have not yet been randomly selected from the list and invited.

At this point we do not know how long the pilot will be running for and we encourage invited patients to strongly consider booking in for their Fibroscan liver health check. It is quick, painless and gives instant information on liver health.

We are excited to be part of this pilot program and hope our patients will find it a helpful, convenient service.