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New Survey Reveals Majorities of American Adults Misinformed About Liver Disease Causes and Prevention Methods

Posted on: Tuesday, 25 October 2005, 09:00 CDT

NEW YORK, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Although liver disease has become one of the nation's fastest growing serious health concerns -- affecting more than one in 10 Americans -- many U.S. adults are not aware of how they can contract liver disease nor do they recognize how easily it can be prevented, reveals a new public opinion survey released today by the American Liver Foundation (ALF).

In fact, 4 in 5 U.S. adults (80 percent) believe that alcohol abuse is the leading cause of liver disease, a myth that may have lured them into complacency and put them at risk.

"People may have a dangerously misguided sense that 'it won't happen to me' because they are not heavy drinkers," said Frederick G. Thompson, president and CEO of the American Liver Foundation, which sponsored the first annual Liver Awareness Survey.

"In fact, the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the United States -- and a significantly growing cause of liver cancer -- is viral hepatitis," said Thompson. "The reality is that liver disease can be traced to a variety of causes related to family history, reactions to drugs and chemicals, social behavior and hygiene. It is crucial for Americans to become better informed in order to protect their liver health."

Today, 30 million Americans suffer from some form of liver disease. There are over 100 liver diseases.

The survey revealed an alarming lack of knowledge about viral hepatitis, with more than half of U.S. adults (54 percent) not knowing that unsafe sex can transmit hepatitis B. Viral hepatitis comprises the largest percentage of chronic liver disease in the United States, and there are more than 80,000 new cases of hepatitis B infection alone each year in the United States.

"This disturbing lack of public understanding about the risks to the liver is a great concern, because many forms of liver disease have no symptoms and cannot be detected without screening," said James L. Boyer, M.D., chair of the ALF Board of Directors and Ensign Professor of Medicine at Yale University.

"The fact is, many liver diseases can be effectively treated with drug therapies and, in many cases, prevented through immunization," said Dr. Boyer. "Unfortunately, people simply don't think to have their liver checked as part of their routine checkups."

The ALF survey shows that only 42 percent of U.S. adults know that vaccination is one of the best ways to prevent contraction of hepatitis B. Moreover, three in five U.S. adults (60 percent) do not know hepatitis B can lead to liver cancer.

Additional data of interest from the survey include: * A majority of U.S. adults (84 percent) know that they cannot survive without their liver. * Two-thirds of U.S. adults (67 percent) realize that a living person can donate a part of their liver to someone else. * More than one in four U.S. adults (27 percent) did not identify the liver as the organ that is primarily affected by hepatitis. * The majority of U.S. adults (86 percent) are not aware that the incidence of liver cancer is on the rise in the United States.

October is National Liver Awareness Month, a great opportunity for Americans to learn how to care for this underappreciated and vital organ and to make real progress in the fight against what is rapidly becoming one of the nation's most serious public health problems -- liver disease. For more information about liver health, liver disease and ways to maintain healthy liver functionality, visit http://www.liverfoundation.org/.

About the American Liver Foundation

The American Liver Foundation (ALF) is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to promoting liver wellness and to preventing, treating, and curing hepatitis and other liver diseases through research, education and advocacy. For additional information about hepatitis and other liver diseases, contact the ALF at 1-800 GO LIVER or visit http://www.liverfoundation.org/.

The ALF has 25 chapter offices nationwide and provides educational workshops and seminars, support groups, and community outreach to increase the awareness of hepatitis and other liver diseases. The ALF also provides guidance to local, state and federal policy makers on issues relating to hepatitis and liver disease and to help affect positive change in the outcomes of the disease. ALF is a leader in generating local and national support for research by advocating federal policy makers to secure increases in government funding for liver disease, and by funding young scientists and researchers to help improve the study of liver disease and patient care and to encourage the discovery of more scientific breakthroughs in the disease. ALF sponsors numerous fundraising events and campaigns around the country to support all of these efforts.

Survey Methodology

Harris Interactive(R) fielded the online survey on behalf of the American Liver Foundation between September 30 and October 4, 2005 among a nationwide sample of 2,048 U.S. adults ages 18 and over. The data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity and propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. This online sample is not a probability sample.

CONTACT: Andrea Iraheta of American Liver Foundation, +1-212-668-1000, airaheta@liverfoundation.org, or Jaymie Gustafson, +1-202-965-7811, jaymie.gustafson@zenogroup.com, for American Liver Foundation.

American Liver Foundation

CONTACT: Andrea Iraheta of American Liver Foundation, +1-212-668-1000,airaheta@liverfoundation.org, or Jaymie Gustafson, +1-202-965-7811,jaymie.gustafson@zenogroup.com, for American Liver Foundation

Web site: http://www.liverfoundation.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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