Fatty livers can cause cancer

Nadira Gunatilleke

A study conducted by the Kelaniya University found that around 36 percent of people in Colombo have fatty livers. Fatty livers lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer, Consultant Transplant Hepatologist and Gastroenterologist attached to the Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore, Dr. Desmond Wai said.

Addressing a press briefing in Colombo yesterday Dr. Wai said that the persons who are having fatty livers can get cirrhosis or liver cancer or both in 20 or 30 years. It is important to have a healthy liver. A healthy liver should have less than 30 percent of fat. Liver is an organ that has the ability to regenerate itself. A person can live with only 30 percent of liver. A healthy person can donate a part of his/her liver and save another person.

According to Dr. Wai, a person can have a healthy liver by losing weight, reducing the level of triglycerides in cholesterol, keeping blood pressure and blood sugar normal (controlling high blood pressure and diabetes) and reducing the intake of alcohol. After a liver transplant, over 80 percent of patients live more than five years.

Consultant Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon attached to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Dr. C. Sivathasan said that heart diseases are becoming more common in Sri Lanka and they have become one of the leading causes of death in the country. The WHO has predicted that high blood pressure among Asians will double in the next 15 years. Heart failure is becoming another common condition. Heart transplants are costly and only four percent of heart transplants takes place in Asia.

Patients who need heart transplants can leave a sigh of relief because of the availability of a simple device, ‘Heart Mate’ a booster pump that can be connected to the patient’s heart and assist him to survive.

Dr. Desmond Wai was speaking about ‘Advances in management of liver and gastrointestinal diseases’. He specializes in liver transplant especially involving donors. This is his fifth visit to Sri Lanka. Dr. C. Sivathasan was speaking about ‘Cardiovascular diseases. “what, when and why”.

He is the first doctor to perform Left Ventricular Assisted Device (LAVD) surgery in Asia. This is a life saving operation for patients with end stages of heart failure.