Liver disease rates soaring in Canada
New statistics show that more and more Canadians are dealing with some form of liver disease throughout their life.
According to the Canadian Liver Foundation, one in four Canadians will have to combat some form of liver disease in their lifetime. That number has increased from one in 10 in 2013.
Mohit Arora was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a deadly condition, in 1993 when he was just a baby.
“It’s a difficult thing, because I spent the majority of my childhood in the hospital,” Arora said.
While his outlook wasn’t promising, on his 11th birthday he received a gift of life: a liver transplant. That was 30 years ago.
“Everyone on the health care team … have been a real big help over the years and also just the fact that I’ve been taking care of myself,” he said.
Holly Nyenkamp from the Canadian Liver Foundation, said people may suffer from liver disease and not know it.
“Symptoms aren’t always clear and really by the time your liver has sustained some significant damage, you’re in that further progressed stage of liver disease,” Nyenkamp said.
March is Liver Health Month and a local dietitian told CTV News there are ways people can get on top of their liver health before it becomes an issue.
“Keep track using a food journal and sometimes even a symptom log if they’re experiencing issues to see if there’s a correlation between sometimes what they eat and then some of their symptoms,” said Paula Ross, a registered dietitian in Sudbury.
Experts agree keeping active and limiting sugar and fat in your diet is the best way to stay healthy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
'Oppenheimer' finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.