by Moira Holden
Binge-drinking by children is storing up massive health problems when they reach their 20s and 30s, a charity has warned
The British Liver Trust says there has been a decrease in the numbers of children who drink, but there has been a big increase in the amount which children consume.
Excessive drinking by children and teenagers is a time bomb, which will lead to a rise in liver disease and cancer in more and more young people, claims the charity.
Cirrhosis of the liver was commonly seen as a condition which affected older man after a long-standing alcohol problem – but now doctors are reporting the condition in men and women in their 20s, brought on by drinking too much.
New figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed 40 percent more young people aged between 25 and 29 had died from liver disease in 2006 compared to the previous year.
Imogen Shillito, the British Liver Trust's director of information and education, said she was concerned about the amount of drink downed by children.
'The burden on their developing bodies is even greater,' she said.
'It means we are storing up a ticking time bomb for the future. As they grow up in their 20s and 30s they could be putting themselves at risk of really serious liver disease and liver cancer.
'This is the progression of the epidemic we and the medical profession have been predicting for several years.
'We continue to ignore the signs of developing liver disease in younger and younger people and earlier deaths are now a reality.'
