Number of under-30s with liver disease soars 50% in a decade as doctors warn figures are tip of the iceberg

The number of young drinkers admitted to hospital with liver problems has risen by more than 50 per cent over the last 10 years, NHS figures show.

In 2009/2010 351 under-30s were treated for the alcohol-related disease - up from 230 in 2000/01.

Doctors have warned the condition, once only found in older adults, is now being diagnosed in teenagers.

Doctors warn young women are particularly at risk from heavy drinking as their bodies can not break down alcohol as readily as men

Dr Jonathan Mitchell, a consultant hepatologist from Plymouth, warned that the latest statistics were a 'gross underestimate.'

He told BBC Newsbeat: 'I've seen people come in who are bright yellow or jaundiced and bleeding from their stomachs.

'Many will turn round and say they had no idea they were drinking to that extent because your liver just doesn't give you warning.'

Professor Roger Williams told the Daily Mail that young women are at particular risk from heavy drinking as their bodies can only safely consume half the amount of alcohol that men can.

He said: 'Every day in my clinic, I see the terrible effects of drink on the young. Only recently we had a case of a 22-year-old who died of alcohol-related hepatitis.'

Heavy drinking can inflame the liver, causing jaundice, and leading to comas and even death.

Long-term, excessive drinking can also cause cirrhosis, in which the normal liver tissue is destroyed and replaced by scar tissue.

Dirt cheap alcohol has been blamed for the rise of drinking-related deaths in Britain, with alcohol 75 per cent cheaper now in real terms than in 1980.

Experts have warned the Government's new minimum alcohol price will have 'no impact' as lager can still be sold for 38p per can, while wine can go for £2 a bottle.

Professor Ian Gilmore, chairman of the UK Health Alliance, said: ‘To bring in a measure that we know in practice will have no effect at all on the health of this nation I think is disappointing.

‘It’s a step in the right direction, but I have to say it’s an extremely small step. It’ll have no impact whatsoever on the vast majority of cheap drinks sold, for example, in supermarkets.’

Professor Roger Williams said: 'The fact that a can of Coca-Cola is often significantly more expensive than a can of lager says something of the warped values of today’s society.'