The number of Irish women in hospital with severe liver damage from alcohol doubled during the pandemic.
Professor John Ryan warned a shift in drinking habits has resulted in record numbers of females seeking help for cirrhosis of the liver.
Prof Ryan, consultant hepatologist at Beaumont Hospital and co-founder of the Irish Liver Federation, said excessive boozing is killing people in their early 20s.
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He said: “We are seeing people in their early twenties and thirties dying from horrific liver disease.
“I’m seeing people dying from something that could have been treated. Alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver has increased by about 50 per cent over two years.
“We are seeing from 2021-2022 admissions have increased, with people coming to us in crisis”
He added: “The demographics have changed too; we have been seeing more women coming to the emergecncy department and into the Intensive Care Unit. It used to be 70 per cent male but is now 50/50.”
Prof Ryan said more Government based services need to be introduced to help tackle the spiraling problem.
He added: “We still drink and there is a place for it in Ireland but I think it’s just gone so crazy.
“During covid people really turned to drink to deal with the strain of it and what we are seeing now is the output from that.”
Shockingly, half of Irish adults are living with chronic liver disease, most as a result of obesity, alcohol or haemochromatosis.
Prof Ryan advised that people could improve their liver health by making simple changes to their drinking habits.
He urged: “Having an alcohol free day or doing a dry january does help and helps improve liver health.”
For further information go to www.irishliverfoundation.ie
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