Screenings find fatty liver disease widespread in Taiwan

Taipei, July 20 (CNA) A majority of people who took part in free ultrasound screenings across Taiwan on Sunday were found to have fatty liver disease, according to the Taipei-based Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation.

The screenings tested 5,661 individuals over a three-hour period and revealed abnormal results in 81.5 percent of participants, the foundation said.

Of those screened, 3,103 people -- or 54.8 percent -- were found to have fatty livers, foundation CEO Yang Pei-ming (楊培銘) said at a press conference.

"Fatty liver disease is quietly becoming Taiwan's new national disease," Yang said, noting that its prevalence is increasing.

Yang warned that fatty liver disease can progress in stages: from hepatitis, through fibrosis and cirrhosis, and ultimately liver cancer.

People under the age of 40 are a critical group, Yang said.

The foundation executive director added that the issue is drawing global medical attention and similar trends can be seen elsewhere, including in Japan and western countries.

Yang went on to say that the most effective way to prevent fatty liver disease is to "eat less and move around more," but admitted that most people struggle to follow this advice.

The ultrasound screenings on Sunday also identified a number of other conditions among participants, including suspected cancers, benign tumors, cirrhosis, enlarged spleens and parenchymal liver disease.