Dr Chawla, who was speaking at the sidelines of Gastro and Liver Update held by Physicans’ Association, Ludhiana, said that the increased intake of liquor had led to increase in the number of patients with liver ailments in the state and the country.

“Liquor is responsible for liver damage in about 50 per cent of the patients suffering from liver problem. The over-use of alcohol is taking its toll on the people in a big way as many forty somethings are thronging to OPD and emergency complaining about various ailments,” said Dr Chawla.

Addressing the doctors, Prof Y.K. Chawla stressed on the need of early diagnosis and proper treatment of jaundice. He especially talked about Hepatitis B and C and the latest drugs that are available for their treatment. Incidence of both is increasing day by day. However with the advent of Interferon and newer anti-viral drugs, the prognosis of the disease has really improved.

The update, which was regarding the recent advances in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology, was also addressed by Dr P. Kar, professor of medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, who spoke about the role of various drugs. He said steroids should be used very sparingly and with a lot of caution.