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Why the CCSF
- Liver diseases occurs very frequently in the general population of Italy
and Europe. Data collected recently by the Foundation for the Study of Liver
Disease (Dionysos Project) indicate that the prevalence of liver disease
is higher than 15%, and in particular that of hepatic cirrhoses is higher
than 1%.
Extrapolating these data to the general population, if follows that there are more that 550,000 individuals suffering from cirrhosis, and that among these, about 10% (some 55,000) are associated with liver cancer.
The aetiology of liver disease is multiple, and includes hepatropic viral infection (HBV, HCV), alcohol, hereditary metabolic diseases (especially haemochromatosis) and other toxins such as pharmaceuticals. In particular, HCV viral infection is present in more than 7% of the general population over 45 years old, indicating that HCV infection is an important cause of liver disease. - At Trieste, there is a solid and international experience in the study
and treatment of liver disease. This results in part because of the existence
of a group which is well known internationally in the relevant field, and
in part because of the existence of the Foundation for the Study of Liver
Disease (FSF) which invests resources in development of research into these
pathologies and in general hepatic physio-pathologies.
The FSF has become and entirely ONLUS organisation and is registered as a scientific research structure at the national level. - Alongside its scientific research activities at Trieste, the CCSF is co-ordinating important regional and national projects at the clinical level, such as more efficient treatment of the HCV-related liver diseases, prevention and early diagnosis of primary liver carcinoma and the study of the incidence of liver disease in the general population (Dionysos 2 Project). This allows the accumulation of selected and important clinical case studies for which improved diagnoses and more reliable prognoses may then be obtained.