Salisbury man calls for open conversation around liver disease
New research suggests there are widespread misconceptions around liver conditions
A Salisbury man who's lived his whole life with a rare liver condition is urging people with similar illnesses to be open about it to help boost awareness and understanding.
Louis Smith, 24, was born with biliary atresia, where the bile ducts inside or outside the liver become blocked or fail to develop normally, trapping bile in the liver. It can be life threatening, but Louis had surgery at 12 weeks old to correct the issue, although it is only a temporary solution and he's on a waiting list for a transplant.
"Ever since then, I've been quite strong and healthy," he said. "I've known no different, goijg in and out of hospital as a child was something I saw as very normal."
Louis' call for greater awareness comes as new research is highlighting widespread misunderstanding around liver disease. A study by Liver UK found almost a third of people believe alcohol consumption is the only cause, despite its links to obesity, viral hepatitis, type 2 diabetes, genetic conditions and autoimmune diseases.
It also found many adults are unaware of the risk factors that can lead to liver disease, even though it's among the leading causes of early death in the UK.
The organisation says the lack of awareness is concerns as the disease often develops silently and frequently has no obvious symptoms, meaning many are diagnosed when there is limited opportunity for intervention.
Louis leading mostly "normal" life
While Louis was born with the condition, his parents were aware of an issue before he arrived, as they were told about the concerns during a scan.
He says they were "in the dark" as it's such an uncommon illness, which meant a hectic and worrying time for them once he was born, but thanks to the help of doctors at Kings College Hospital, Louis says he's gong from "strength to strength".
"My day-to-day life is not dissimilar to anyone else. It's pretty much how anyone else would lead their life," he said, telling us he's able to enjoy playing tennis, going for runs and go to the gym.
However, he does have to be mindful of how much he gets up to, saying a busy weekend can lead to fatigue and trigger other issues, such skin irritations.
"There's something called pruritus, which is itchiness, irritability of the skin, which potentially affects my mood sometimes," he said, adding the pruritus is regularly something people with liver illnesses suffer from.
Aside from that, he's living life in a normal way and has qualified to become a teacher.
Transplant news a shock
Louis says he knew he'd need to have a transplant at some point in his life, but in 2023, he was given the news during what seemed to be a routine visit to hospital.
He said it was "difficult" to process the news, even though it had always been expected.
Now, he lives as normally as possible, all the while knowing that his phone could ring at any moment telling him that a donor match has been found.
"Most people's surgeries, they have a date for their surgery. Mine is, you know, be on the end of the phone and we, you get here as quick as you can," he said.
Boosting awareness of "invisible illnesses"
On the outside, Louis appears well and fine, which he mostly is, by his own admission. He also says that what's happening on the inside is a different story.
During the last few years, he's got involved with organisations like the British Liver Trust and the Children's Liver Disease Foundation to use his voice to help other families going through similar situations.
While he was at university, he gave a speech on invisible illnesses to help open up the conversation.
He's urging people with conditions like his to speak to their employers and friends to help increase awareness around these illnesses.
"Fortunately, I've had all positive experiences. But that's not to say that I know it can be really, really difficult for anyone to understand," he said.
He also said it is vital that people with liver conditions resist pressure from others to drink, something he ran into whilst at uni, insisted that "your health comes first".
Additionally, he said parents of children with liver conditions should take things one step at a time and keep their child as active and healthy as possible.