FEARS of a 'liver disease crisis' have been sparked after a third of people with liver disease in Dorset and the south west say they were diagnosed too late.

Across the region, 30 per cent of people with liver disease said they were diagnosed late, by which time there were very few treatment options and the disease had progressed, a survey carried out by leading liver charity, the British Liver Trust, reveals.

The largest ever survey of UK liver patients revealed that:

n 16 per cent of people said their condition was dismissed as nothing to worry about when they were first seen by a medical professional.

n 13 per cent of patients were "very unsatisfied" with the medical care they had received.

n Nearly half of liver disease patients had no signs or symptoms of a liver problem before diagnosis.

The survey of over 2,000 patients also showed that 22 per cent of patients across the UK waited more than six months before being referred to a specialist.

Professor Stephen Ryder, Consultant at Nottingham University NHS Trust said, “We need to be diagnosing people with liver disease at a much earlier stage in primary care. We have equipped GPs with a very poor test for diagnosing liver disease - Liver Function Tests (liver enzymes).

“Repeat testing of liver enzymes just wastes NHS money and does not provide early diagnosis. We now have excellent tests for liver scarring, the process which matters in the liver, and those tests should now be universal in primary care.”

Over 14,000 people will die from liver disease this year – more than 40 people a day. It is the third biggest cause of early death and is the only major disease increasing year on year.

Pamela Healy, Chief Executive of British Liver Trust, said: “The UK is facing a liver disease crisis. Liver problems often develop silently as patients do not tend to experience symptoms until the disease has progressed. This survey highlights the shocking number of people who are diagnosed late and who do not feel they are receiving the care they need.

“The survey also highlights the need to help people understand how to reduce their risk of liver damage to address the increase in deaths from liver disease. Although the liver is remarkably resilient, if left too late damage is often irreversible.”