By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Consultant of internal medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dr Wafaa Al-Hashash said around 160,000 citizens and residents will get Cirrhosis in the next ten years and she attributed this to the increased rates of Lipoid proteinosis cases in the country.

Al-Hashash said in a press statement that Lipoid proteinosis affects more than 20 percent of the global population, adding that in comparison with global statistics, 4.8 million people now have Lipoid proteinosis and this will mean around 20 percent of those has Cirrhosis, which is around 160,000 people.

Dr Al-Hashash advised patients to do an early detection of Cirrhosis, adding that there are new technologies that help with such detection such as the Fibroscan which measures the Cirrhosis percentages without the need of a biopsy.

She also said that the Fibroscan uses highly advanced technology as it measures the rigidity and flexibility of the liver in a short time using ultra sound waves that are quick and not painful and without any invasive procedures. It is worth mentioning that Lipoid proteinosis is the top reason for causing Cirrhosis and liver cancer in the world, with obesity being the major reason for the condition.