Woman diagnosed age 10 with liver of adult alcoholic defies doctors' warnings

29 August 2023 , 11:11

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Megan McGillin was diagnosed with a serious liver disease aged ten (Image: Belfast Live)

A woman who was told at the age of ten she had the ‘liver of an alcoholic’ has managed to put off needing a transplant by keeping fit.

Megan McGillin was diagnosed with cirrhosis 11 years ago, a condition which cannot be cured, although her doctors are clueless as to how she got it. She was told she would need a transplant in the future as a result of the condition.

However, she has so far managed to ward off surgery by keeping fit by taking up rowing. Such was her success, she was picked for the Irish high-performance squad at school.

Now aged 21, she has reached the age she was told she would “definitely” need a new liver. But, so far, she has defied the experts' warning.

She told the BBC: “Doctors told me, initially when I was diagnosed, at the age of 18 I would have a transplant, but I kept fit and well.

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“Then when I was 16 or 17, they told me definitely by 21 that I would need a transplant, when I turned 21 in November, I didn't get a transplant for my birthday.

“I just kept on powering through, so they have taken away any timelines now."

Earlier this year a study from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics found nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) diagnosis has soared in the last three decades. The term is used by doctors for individuals who have liver damage now owing to alcohol.

When the liver breaks down alcohol, it generates additional toxins within the body. Over time, excessive consumption of alcohol can result in liver cell injury and inflammation, leading to signs of fatty liver disease.

Dr Scot Thomas told the : "For many people, fatty liver disease could point to signs of alcohol abuse or addiction." The medical expert also highlighted those at most risk - "heavy drinkers who are obese, women, or [those who] have certain genetic mutations".

Cirrhosis of the liver is the final stage of ARLD in which the organ has become significantly scarred and is generally not reversible. The NHS warns of "portal hypertension" as a potential health complication of alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Antony Clements-Thrower