Boots Ireland has launched a new Liver Scanning Service to help check your liver health by measuring potential scar tissue and fatty change in the liver.
Boots recognises its unique position as a local primary healthcare provider, and this new service connects pharmacy to multidisciplinary healthcare colleagues to promote awareness of the importance of liver health and how it can affect our overall health, while increasing access to preventative care across the country.
From July 2023, selected Boots pharmacies in Dublin, Cork and Galway will provide this Liver Scanning Service. Customers can make their appointments online at boots.ie/liver-scanning at a time that suits them. The fee for the service is €200. The service will be carried out by a specially trained nurse, using a device called Fibroscan, and test results will be reviewed by a consultant hepatologist.
Commenting on the new service, Caoimhe McAuley, Director of Pharmacy and Superintendent Pharmacist of Boots Ireland said, “The overall health of our liver is often overlooked when in fact, it should be prioritised, so we are delighted to be able to bring our Liver Scanning Service to fruition on a pilot basis in selected stores. Innovation and expansion of healthcare is key at Boots and being the first pharmacy in Ireland to offer this as a private fee-based service is a prime example of that. We at Boots recognise the need to raise customer awareness of the importance of liver health, its contribution to long-term health and healthy aging, and the lifestyle choices we can all take to protect it. We look forward to welcoming existing and new customers who want to avail of the service into store over the coming weeks.”
The liver plays a central role in health, handling sugars, proteins and fats, as well as in the detoxification of drugs and other substances, and much more. Most of us are aware of the impact of alcohol on the liver but not necessarily the impact of other lifestyle choices, such as unhealthy diet and lack of exercise.
Apart from exercise, there are many other ways in which the liver can be inflamed. For example, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD as it’s more commonly known, is an umbrella term used to describe liver disorders caused by an increase of fat in the liver. It is, in many cases, due to a combination of eating more calories than the body needs and leading a more sedentary or inactive lifestyle. It occurs commonly in association with being overweight. High levels of NAFLD are also seen in those living with diabetes, more often Type 2 diabetes (T2D), or earlier stages of altered glucose handling in the body. In the early stages, liver disease causes no symptoms. As it is estimated that 25-30% of the global population have NAFLD[1], and with Ireland having one of the highest levels of obesity in Europe[2], being more aware of your liver health is important. If left untreated NAFLD can lead to serious liver problems, such as cirrhosis, but identified early on, before scarring develops, it can be reversed with lifestyle changes.
For further information or to book online, visit www.boots.ie/liver-scanning
[1] https://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/action/showPdf?pii=S0168-8278%2821%2902168-1
[2]https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/cspd/ncps/obesity/#:~:text=Ireland%20has%20one%20of%20the,living%20with%20overweight%20and%20obesity.
