The British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL) held its annual meeting from 17th – 20th September at the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow. BASL is dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the biology and pathology of the liver for the optimal care of patients.
Aiming to take the subject matter outside of the conference walls into the public, BASL partnered with the British Liver Trust, the UK’s leading liver health charity, and Glasgow Convention Bureau to bring the Love Your Liver Roadshow to Glasgow city centre for two days on the 18th and 19th September.
The Love Your Liver public awareness event gave individuals the opportunity to take the Liver Health Screener, which assesses the potential for liver damage against the three main risk factors of alcohol, obesity and viral hepatitis. Some participants were then offered a non-invasive liver check with a FibroScan machine, the scan then gave an indication of any liver damage and, depending on the result, a GP visit was recommended.
The first day of the engagement initiative saw the Love Your Liver roadshow located on Argyle Street, one of the city’s busiest shopping streets. 71 members of the public took the liver screener test, with 63 then being scanned with the FibroScan machine and 1 in 5 people being advised to visit their GP.
Day two saw the Love Your Liver team bring the Roadshow to the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre during the University’s Fresher’s Week, when hundreds of first year students start their University career, an ideal opportunity to talk to students about their liver health! 89 individuals were screened on day two, 85 of which were also scanned with the FibroScan machine which resulted in 14 people being recommended a GP visit.
Love Your Liver
Over the two days of the Love Your Liver Roadshow the team engaged directly with 160 members of the public, with 17% of those who were scanned being advised to visit their GP for further checks. All participants received free information packs which included advice and insight on how to Love Your Liver with personalised lifestyle tips based on the screener results.
Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Communications and Policy at the British Liver Trust said:“One in three of us are at risk of liver disease and the numbers of people being diagnosed have been increasing at an alarming rate. Liver damage develops silently with no signs or symptoms and people often don’t realise they have a problem until it is too late. Although the liver is remarkably resilient, if left until symptoms appear, the damage is often irreversible.”
She continued: “The British Liver Trust was delighted to be at the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre, together with the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL), to promote and raise awareness of liver disease to students, academics and the public. The event highlighted important research and innovation in liver care. The Convention Bureau’s support allowed us to showcase our Love Your Liver Roadshow enabling people to find out their risk of liver disease and receive a free non-invasive scan. Approximately 20% of the people we saw on the roadshow need to have further checks from their GP. This is conference legacy in action.”