Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team May 26, 2026 38 minutes ago
Medical News: A major new medical series led by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health is warning that Europe is facing a dangerous and largely overlooked liver disease epidemic that is quietly killing hundreds of thousands of people every year. The findings show that chronic liver disease is no longer just a specialist medical issue but a growing public health emergency linked to obesity, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, diabetes, and viral infections.
New research warns that Europe’s hidden liver disease epidemic is rapidly growing due to obesity, alcohol use,
and unhealthy modern lifestyles
The extensive research project, titled “Ending the chronic liver disease public health threat in Europe,” involved more than 75 researchers from 30 countries. The scientists came from institutions including the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, European liver research networks, public health agencies, and hospitals across Europe.
The warning comes at a time when liver disease is increasingly affecting younger and working-age adults, often without symptoms until the damage has already become severe.
Millions Living with Liver Disease Without Knowing It
One of the most concerning findings is that millions of Europeans may already have chronic liver disease without being aware of it. Researchers estimate that one in three people in the European Union and the United Kingdom are living with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, commonly known as MASLD.
MASLD occurs when excess fat builds up inside the liver. It is strongly linked to obesity, poor diet, diabetes, and lack of exercise. Over time, the condition can progress into inflammation, scarring of the liver, liver failure, or even liver cancer.
Doctors warn that the disease often develops silently over many years. Most people feel healthy and do not experience symptoms until the liver becomes badly damaged.
Researchers say this silent progression is one of the main reasons Europe is now facing a massive hidden health burden.
Alcohol and Obesity Creating a Dangerous Combination
Europe continues to have the highest alcohol consumption rates in the world. The report states that alcohol is responsible for roughly 40 percent of the estimated 287,000 premature liver-related deaths recorded in Europe every year.
Heavy drinking combined with rising obesity rates is creating what scientists describe as a “perfect storm” for liver disease.
The researchers explained that alcohol does not act alone. When combined with obesity, diabetes, poor nutrition, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles, the damage to the liver becomes much more severe and progresses more quickly.
The study also highlighted a growing condition known as MetALD, where metabolic disease and alcohol-related liver injury occur together. Scientists believe this overlap is becoming increasingly common across Europe.
Liver Disease Now Hitting Working-Age Adults
Unlike
many chronic illnesses that mainly affect older people, liver disease is increasingly damaging the health of adults in their working years.
The report found that chronic liver disease is now second only to ischemic heart disease as a cause of years of working life lost in Europe.
Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease and untreated viral hepatitis frequently happen decades earlier than deaths caused by many other chronic illnesses. This has serious economic and social consequences for families, healthcare systems, and national economies.
The researchers also warned that hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections continue to remain major killers. Together, these viral infections account for more than 85 percent of annual deaths linked to HIV, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis infections across the EU and European Economic Area.
Doctors Say Europe’s Health Systems Are Failing
Professor Jeffrey V. Lazarus from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and Head of the Public Health Liver Group at ISGlobal said Europe does not need more warnings but urgently needs a completely different healthcare response.
According to the researchers, liver disease is still treated too narrowly within hepatology departments rather than being integrated into mainstream healthcare systems.
Currently, many people are routinely checked for blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body weight, and diabetes risk, yet they are rarely screened for liver fibrosis or early liver damage.
Scientists argue that this is a major missed opportunity because early-stage liver disease can often be reversed through lifestyle changes, treatment, or reduced alcohol consumption.
This
Medical News report highlights that experts are calling for liver health checks to become part of standard primary care screenings throughout Europe.
Stigma Preventing Many from Seeking Help
The report also drew attention to the stigma surrounding liver disease. Patient advocates involved in the research warned that many people with liver disease are unfairly blamed for their condition.
Researchers said liver disease is often wrongly viewed solely as the result of poor personal choices, even though social inequality, unhealthy food environments, commercial alcohol marketing, poverty, and healthcare barriers all play major roles.
This stigma discourages many people from seeking medical help or discussing symptoms openly.
The report emphasized that migrants, low-income communities, incarcerated individuals, and people who use drugs often face the biggest obstacles in accessing testing and treatment.
Researchers stressed that these groups are not “hard to reach,” but rather are frequently excluded by healthcare systems and policy failures.
Poor Diets and Ultra-Processed Foods Under Fire
Scientists involved in the series strongly criticized Europe’s growing dependence on ultra-processed foods and unhealthy diets.
They warned that widespread availability of cheap processed foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and additives is contributing directly to the explosion of obesity and fatty liver disease.
At the same time, modern lifestyles involving reduced physical activity are worsening the crisis.
The researchers noted that while governments have introduced strong campaigns against smoking and heart disease, liver disease prevention policies remain weak or fragmented in many European countries.
Key Recommendations from Researchers
The researchers outlined several urgent recommendations to help stop the growing crisis:
Integrate liver disease prevention into broader obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular health programs
Improve early detection through routine liver screening in primary care
Expand access to hepatitis testing and treatment
-Strengthen alcohol control policies
-Reduce commercial drivers of unhealthy lifestyles
-Improve public education on liver health
-Address stigma and healthcare inequality
The experts believe that earlier diagnosis could prevent many cases from progressing into cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer.
Conclusion
The researchers concluded that Europe is facing a preventable but rapidly worsening liver disease crisis driven by obesity, alcohol consumption, poor diets, viral hepatitis, and systemic healthcare failures. They stressed that millions remain undiagnosed because liver disease often progresses silently for years before symptoms appear. Without urgent reforms focused on prevention, early detection, integrated care, and stronger public health policies, chronic liver disease could place an even greater burden on European healthcare systems and lead to hundreds of thousands of avoidable premature deaths in the coming decades.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(26)00143-2/fulltext
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