Liver screening

What is liver screening?

As the largest organ in the body, your liver is essential to your wellbeing, carrying out more than 500 functions to keep you healthy.

We know certain things we enjoy, or an unhealthy lifestyle, can be harmful to the liver, such as too much alcohol or fatty food. Even moderate amounts of alcohol can cause damage, but if caught early these changes can be reversed. NICE Guidelines now recommend anyone who routinely drinks more than three to five bottles of wine per week should have their liver screened.

A liver screen includes blood tests that look at the function of the liver, a scan of the liver that looks for early signs of scarring and a physical examination. Some specialist scans, like our Fibroscan®, can determine whether liver damage is caused by drinking too much alcohol, or caused by eating too much high cholesterol or sugary food - which can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Often people give up alcohol or go on a diet and detox in January or for Lent, but do these periods of abstinence really work? The good news is if liver damage is found, simple lifestyle changes can have a big impact.

Catch a problem early

Screening is a good way to have your liver checked. Checking the health of your liver at an early stage will help treat any conditions that may arise in the future. Typically, when caught early, treatments for liver disease, or onset of cirrhosis, are usually a combination of lifestyle or slight changes in a daily routine. These can help resolve issues before they become serious and irreparable.

Comprehensive liver screening

At HCA UK our liver specialists provide you with liver screening which includes:

• a consultation with our world leading gastroenterologists and hepatologists
• investigations including: full blood count, liver function test, Fibroscan diagnostic procedure with controlled attenuation parameter test (measuring the non-alcoholic fatty density of your liver)
• full results write up and recommendation, including a letter to your GP if requested.

All tests and consultations can be booked and arranged to a time suited to your schedule, with results and reports typically available within 48 hours.

Find a liver specialist

Fibroscan

Recommended by NICE Guidelines, Fibroscan is a simple test that can analyse the amount of scarring in the liver by bouncing an ultrasound wave off your liver. It is non-invasive, only takes a few minutes, and results are available immediately.

Discover more about FibroScan