Anatomist Dr Alice Roberts continues her tour of the human body with her friendly and informative guide to healthy living and, in the first episode of the night, looks at the ticking time bomb – the liver.
The British Liver Trust estimates that one in 10 people will suffer from some form of liver disease at some point in their lives. However, the liver doesn’t complain until it’s too late.
As a nation, we are drinking more than ever before and 50 per cent of liver disease has been found to be alcohol-related. While Dr Alice demonstrates how the liver works, she meets Julie and Katie Brant, a mother and daughter from the West Midlands, who agree to keep a drinks diary. Both enjoy alcohol but have very different drinking patterns – which one will have drunk more units of alcohol by the end of the week?
But alcohol is not the only reason people develop cirrhosis of the liver – doctors now realise that genes and other factors, such as obesity, play their part. Philip Parker from Bristol is a case in point – never an alcoholic, his cirrhosis recently developed into liver cancer. The programme follows Philip as he finally gets the call he’s been waiting for and surgeons are filmed performing a liver transplant.
Finally, Dr Alice visits scientists at Newcastle University who hope, in the long term, to be able to grow replacement livers from stem cells obtained from a baby’s umbilical cord.
Tuesday 5 August
8.00-8.30pm BBC TWO
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Although the series of programs by Dr. Alice Roberts has been very interesting and informative, I would like her to undertake a further program regarding liver disease. I and many other people suffer from PBC (Primary Billiary Cirrosis) which is an auto immune disease. i also have AIH which is auto immune hepititis. All information can be found regarding this on the PBC Foundation website and the British Liver trust has also a leaflet now on AIH. It is a pain trying to explain to people that ‘no, I am not an alcoholic, my own anti bodies are on self distruct!’ The main man in this field is I believe Prof. James Neuberger who is based at the Birming Hospital. It would help all of us that have this illness for people to be enlightened and others may put themselves on the donor list if they think their liver is not going to an alcoholic!
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