Global liver disease burdens and research trends: Analysis from a Chinese perspective

Abstract

Liver diseases affect millions of people worldwide. In most developed countries, the incidence of viral hepatitis is waning as a result of modern advances in disease prevention, diagnosis, and therapies. Expanded programmes for systematic immunisation against hepatitis B virus have also significantly brought down the number of new cases in many countries, including China. In contrast, with the improvement in living standards, the prevalence of metabolic liver diseases including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and alcohol-related liver disease is set to rise, ultimately leading to more cases of end-stage liver diseases (liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer). Over the past 30 years, visionary governments of major nations have provided strong incentives for basic/clinical research, vaccination programmes, and drug discovery and development in the field of hepatology. To get rid of her unflattering title as the ''leader in liver diseases", China has also made a serious effort to initiate nationwide preventive measures for liver diseases, global partnerships, and mentoring programmes for young hepatologists. Instrumental to such progress is the continuous support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), which has helped hepatology to thrive in virtually all research directions within the country. In this article, we seek to provide stimulating glimpses into the evolving liver disease epidemiology, institutional research profiles, funding landscape, and drug development trends in China, with an attempt to compare her status and achievements with those of the United States, European countries, and Japan.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Liver Disease and Cancer

“…Chronic alcohol-related liver injury and viral hepatitis are two major categories of chronic liver disease, and often both etiologies occur in the same liver, accelerating liver disease progression [34]. The prevalence rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the US, European countries and Japan were reported to be 1.13%, 1.10%, and 1.56%, respectively, and these rates are higher than that of 0.72% in China [35]. A national household survey conducted between 1999-2002 in the United States showed that adults who were HCV RNA-positive had heavier alcohol intake, were almost three times more likely to consume >1 drink per day (35.3% vs. 13.5%, P=0.003), and were almost 8 times more likely to consume >3 drinks per day (19.2% vs. 2.4%, P=0.010) compared with other adults [36].…”

Association between Hemoglobin Glycation Index and NAFLD in Chinese Nondiabetic Individuals

“…e global prevalence of NAFLD is currently estimated to be 14-32% [6]. And, in China, the incidence of NAFLD is reckoned to be approximately 20.0% [8], which is rapidly increasing due to the more frequent occurrence of metabolic syndrome [9]. Currently, NAFLD has become the main cause of abnormal liver biochemical indicators in health checkups in China, which is the major issue of chronic liver disease worldwide.…”

Uncovering bioactive compounds and potential mechanisms of Jieduan-Niwan Formula against liver failure

“…Liver failure is considered as the inability of the liver to perform its normal synthetic and metabolic function as part of normal physiology [1]. According data from 11 representative hospitals in China, about 5% of liver diseases patients suffered liver failure [2]. Liver failure may occur acutely without any underlying liver disease (acute liver failure, ALF), as an acute decompensation of chronic liver disease ('acute-on-chronic' liver failure, ACLF) or as a chronic decompensation of end-stage liver disease.…”