Liver Transplants Increasing Among Older Adults

Rates of fatty liver disease have skyrocketed over the course of 2 decades

When it comes to figuring out how healthy your diet is, research suggests you are more likely to be accurate if you don't think you are eating that well.Africa Studio/Shutterstock

New data is showing that more older people are ending up on liver transplant waiting lists than at any point in history. And although the pandemic may play a small role in the uptick, it’s certainly not the main driver—alcohol use and obesity are.

In fact, these two causes have overtaken hepatitis C as the main drivers of liver failure. In most cases, the 65-plus population is experiencing liver disease resulting from fatty liver disease, in which excess fat on the organ leads to scarring that impairs function.