 Agencies
NEW DELHI, Sept 27: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is rapidly emerging as a major public health concern with one to three out of ten people being diagnosed with it, highlighting the impact of the disease, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said on Friday.
Chandra, who released the revised Operational Guidelines and Training Module of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), here said India has taken the lead in recognising it as a major non-communicable disease (NCD).
"NAFLD is rapidly emerging as a major public health concern, closely linked with metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Out of 10, one to three people can have NAFLD which highlights the impact of the disease," Chandra stated.
He highlighted that the release of revised operational guidelines and training modules reflects the importance being given by the Union Health Ministry to curb the disease.
Chandra said these documents will provide a framework for health workers at all levels, from community health workers to medical officers. He also emphasised the importance of continuum of care for people who have been diagnosed with NCDs and underlined the need for lifestyle modification for reducing the prevalence of NAFLD.
Speaking on the occasion, Punya Salila Srivastava, Officer on Special Duty, Union Health Ministry said these guidelines need to reach the grassroots level workers so that the disease is detected early and the burden of NAFLD is reduced.
She said the release of training module is a significant addition to India's efforts to build capacities amongst healthcare professionals to tackle the rising burden of NCDs in India.
Dr S K Sarin, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), said the release of the two documents is a momentous step whose results will be reflected in the next few years. He noted that many NCDs such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer are linked to liver health, underscoring the importance of maintaining a healthy liver.
NCDs are accounting for more than 66 per cent of death in the country. They are strongly associated and causally linked with major behaviour risk factors such as tobacco use (smoking and smokeless), alcohol use, poor dietary habits, insufficient physical activity and air pollution, the ministry said in a statement.
NAFLD is emerging as an important cause of liver disease in India. It could be assuming a silent epidemic with community prevalence ranging from 9 per cent to 32 per cent, depending on age, gender, area of residence and socioeconomic status, the statement stated.
"In other words, we are saying that out of 10 persons, 1 to 3 persons will be having fatty liver or related disease," it said.
India contributes high numbers for NCDs globally and one of the core causes of metabolic diseases is in liver. Realising the growing burden and urgent need to address it, India became the first country to integrate the NAFLD in the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs in 2021, the statement said. |
