The liver is the largest organ within the body, which filters toxins and waste from the blood so that it can be removed from the body via the excretion system. The liver is also important for absorbing nutrients and the digestion process, regulating blood clotting, producing hormones as well as part of the immune system.
January 2026 is ‘Love Your Liver’ awareness month, aimed to raise public awareness of the importance of our livers, the risk factors of liver disease and to encourage healthy steps to support liver health throughout our lives. The early stages of liver disease are asymptomatic, and often the symptoms are not apparent until there has been severe damage. In severe cases, this can lead to the development of liver cancer due to the build-up of scarring on the liver, as well as liver failure.
The risk of the symptoms of the disease being identified at a late stage is the reason the British Liver Trust is raising awareness of the risk factors. The main risk factors are regular intake of alcohol, being overweight, viral hepatitis (Hepatitis A, B and C), as well as some autoimmune diseases that can affect the liver. If you would like to know more about your risk factors and steps that you can take to reduce your risk of liver disease, you can access a screening test provided by the British Liver Trust.
The British Liver Trust has identified the early symptoms of liver disease can be: -
- Feeling generally unwell.
- Feeling tired all the time, beyond what is normally expected for you.
- Feeling or being sick.
- Pain under ribs on the right-hand side (where the liver is).
- Development of spider veins above your waist.
- Blotchy red palms.
- Difficulty sleeping.
Being aware of your risk factors as well as the early signs of liver disease can prevent long-term damage.
If you are concerned about your risk of liver disease, please contact your GP to discuss your concerns.
As medical negligence solicitors, we do sadly see claims related to failures in care that cause damage to patients’ livers. Sometimes, this damage could have been prevented or minimised with earlier treatment. Medical negligence claims relating to liver care are generally related to: -
- Misdiagnosis of liver conditions.
- Delay in diagnosis due to misinterpretation or a failure to interpret blood tests results.
- Failure to order the appropriate tests for diagnosis.
- Delay in diagnosis and / or treatment of autoimmune conditions.
- Failure or a delay in referral for investigation or treatment pathways.
Quote from author. Lauren Kerse, Associate Director and Specialist Medical Negligence Solicitor from MDS, said “Knowing your risk of liver disease, as well as the early symptoms of the same, can help you to seek medical treatment at the earliest possible opportunity. Unfortunately, we see instances of medical negligence where signs, symptoms, and results are not acted on or are overlooked leading to liver damage which could have been prevented. Sadly, this can result in life altering complications for patients.”
