National Liver and Liver Cancer Awareness month focuses on risk factors, prevention of liver disease

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - October is National Liver and Liver Cancer Awareness Month.

Doctors say right now, tens of millions of people in the U.S. suffer from some form of liver disease, with many of them not even knowing.

Doctors say the disease can be caused by a variety of things, including infections, alcohol use, genetics, and auto-immune disorders.

Right now, there are 9,300 people waiting for liver transplants, and an estimated 25 percent of them are going to die waiting.

Doctors say it's important to make sure your liver is healthy.

Desert Care Network General and Robotic Surgeon Dr. Jaron Butterfield says, "It's probably best for folks to discuss with their doctors if they have risk factors. We know weight is a strong risk factor in developing fatty deposition of the liver and that can lead to inflammation over time."

News Channel 3's Peter Daut spoke with Dr. Butterfield to get answers on how to identify risk factors.

The American Liver Foundation just launched a living donor network to help address the transplant shortage.