The impact of the pandemic on alcohol-related liver disease and liver transplantation, and the emergence of non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as a public health threat to be featured at International Liver Congress™ 2022 (ILC 2022)

The congress is convened annually by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and is expected to attract some 8,000 researchers, doctors, policymakers, and industry leaders working on liver disease from some 120 countries. The past two iterations of the conference have been held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For registered delegates unable to attend the in-person event, all sessions will be available digitally. All official onsite press conferences will be broadcast live via Zoom. 

“We are facing sobering times in Europe now and we express our solidarity to those affected by the conflict in Ukraine,” said Prof. Thomas Berg, Secretary General of EASL and Head of the Division of Hepatology at Leipzig University Medical Center in Germany. 

“EASL remains committed to promoting research, sharing, and communication among professionals, across the region and beyond, interested in the liver and its disorders. EASL is delighted that ILC 2022 is both returning to an in-person format and being held in London, a city rich in hepatology science and practice.” 

The well-documented and disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people living with noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension also has researchers worried about the vulnerability of people living with non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to the novel coronavirus. The need to find effective tools to measure this disease and new drugs to treat it is more urgent than ever. 

As a consequence of rising levels of obesity, NAFLD has now become the most common cause of liver disease in Western countries, affecting one in four people. 

Liver disease is on the rise and the fastest growing cause of death in the UK compared to other major killer diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, in which the number of deaths have either remained stable or decreased. It is the biggest cause of death in people aged 35 to 49. 

NAFLD is already the fastest growing cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the commonest form of liver cancer in the USA, France, and the UK. Non-alcohol related steatohepatitis (NASH) is the second, more serious stage of NAFLD. 

If left unchecked, the annual predicted cost of NAFLD in Europe is estimated to be greater than EUR 35 billion in direct costs to the health system, and a further EUR 200 billion by way of wider costs to society. 

About International Liver Congress™
This annual congress is EASL’s flagship event, attracting scientific and medical experts from around the world to learn about the latest in liver research and exchange clinical experience. Attending specialists present, share, debate and conclude on the latest science and research in hepatology, working to enhance the treatment and management of liver disease in clinical practice. This year, the congress is being held entirely digitally due to the global health situation.