Liver disease is on the rise among women, and denial about their drinking habits might be to blame. A recent study in London found that hospital admission for liver disease as a result of drinking has risen an alarming 112 percent in the past decade among women under thirty.
These increasing rates of alcohol-related liver disease were among young professional women in some of London’s wealthiest neighborhoods. The study also found that women in lower-paid jobs drink less than those in managerial or professional careers. And those in higher-paid executive jobs drink the most.
This is an unsuspecting demographic, and liver damage can creep up on them unknowingly. These women are young, in their twenties and thirties, and are out often in work situations or drinking socially. But the official limits for daily alcohol consumption are easy to exceed for women, who might be out with a client one night and with friends for happy hour the next. A woman doesn’t even need to drink to the point of being drunk to cause damage.
Doctors also warn that even though women are not associating their habits as binge drinking, frequently exceeding the recommended daily limit puts a woman at risk. Even if their drinking habits are considered socially normal. According to the National Health and Medical Research Council, women should only have up to two drinks a day to maintain low health risk. And two days a week should be alcohol free. If a woman drinks frequently, she should talk to her doctor about it. The study found that many of the cases of liver disease among women were discovered only after they went to the doctor or hospital because of other ailments. It was then that they realized they had liver disease and some had progressed beyond the point of repair.
