Liver diseases: Perspective from the Philippines

Liver diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. In the Philippines, a lower middle -income country in Southeast Asia, liver diseases accounted for 27.3 cases per 1000 deaths. In this review, we discussed the prevalence, risk factors, and management of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and other viral hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcohol-associated liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carci-noma. The true burden of liver disease in the Philippines is likely underestimated due to limited epidemio-logical studies. Thus, surveillance of liver disease should be strengthened. Clinical practice guidelines tailored to the local needs of the country have been developed for important liver diseases. Multisectoral cooperation among different stakeholders is needed to manage the burden of liver disease in the Philippines.(c) 2023 Fundacion Clinica Medica Sur, A.C. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Automated summary

Liver diseases are a significant cause of illness and death globally. In the Philippines, a lower-middle-income country in Southeast Asia, liver diseases account for 27.3 cases per 1000 deaths. This review discusses the prevalence, risk factors, and management of various liver diseases in the country. It emphasizes the need for improved surveillance, tailored clinical practice guidelines, and multisectoral cooperation to manage the burden of liver disease.