Alcohol-related liver transplants on the rise among young adults, doctor says

Alcohol is the top cause of liver disease, according to the National Institutes of Health.

"We started seeing not only more women, but [more] younger women in their 20s and 30s," Burton, a professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, told Fox News.

"I had never seen young women need liver transplants at that age - and that is not unique to us. That is a problem across America," the doctor added.

Alcohol-related liver disease leads to nearly 50% of all liver transplant surgeries, he noted.

"There are people who maybe don't drink every day, but they drink heavily on the weekends - and maybe have eight to 10 drinks. That's equally bad," Burton said.

Emma Lillibridge, 31, said she never thought she would become a liver transplant recipient. The Colorado woman went to the hospital with an illness and was shocked to discover the extent of her health issues, she told Fox News.

"I had no idea what I was walking into. I went into the hospital thinking I had pneumonia and left with a new liver five weeks later," Lillibridge said.

"In a brewery, I worked behind the scenes too, like in the actual brew house, brewing beer. So I was surrounded by a ton of men who were just chugging beer 24/7," Lillibridge said. 

"So it wasn't uncommon for me during a shift, people walking up saying, 'Do a beer shot with me.'"

By the time Lillibridge was 30, she was told she needed a transplant to save her life. She is now sharing her story to help save others. 

"I really think that people don't recognize how normalized heavy drinking has become in our culture, so they don't see that they have a problem until they really take a look," she added.

Lillibridge received her liver transplant surgery in October 2023. She told Fox News that she is now sober, healthy and back on her feet. She has started a new job and plans to get married soon.