North Shields mum with a rare liver disease is raising awareness of the condition
A North Shields mum with a rare liver disease tells us about the common misconceptions of the condition to raise awareness and break down the stigma.
New research from Liver UK has revealed widespread misunderstanding about liver disease.
They say one in three people in the UK (33%) believe harmful alcohol consumption is the only cause of liver disease, despite the condition also being linked to obesity, viral hepatitis, type 2 diabetes, genetic conditions and autoimmune diseases.
Their research also found that many adults are unaware of the risk factors that can increase chances of developing liver disease, despite it being one of the leading causes of premature death in the UK.
Nadia Mason, who was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis at 8-years-old after being born with the condition, said: "It is important, you only get one liver, and you only get one life and it's something that you need to really take accountability for when you are diagnosed, not when it gets later on down the line.
"The more that people know about things, then the less stigma that would be around whether it's linked to alcohol or it's that fear of thinking people think you caused it yourself.
"I think the more people talk about it, the more other people understand, but also the people that have conditions like me, then have a support network and be able to communicate with other people like-mindedly."