Granted Military Pension due to Cirrhosis of the liver?

[MarkCDodd]

What would be the thinking behind the Army saying a soldiers WW1 service was 100% attributable to Cirrhosis, and paying a 100% disability pension?

Was there a known cause/effect such as gas attacks/hepatitis/bad rations?

[apowell]

Hi Mark,

I'm not sure to be honest but I would take an educated guess and say it would be attributed to Hepatitis A and do you know if the serviceman served overseas eg. Gallipoli, Africa or the Middle East where Hepatitis A was rife due to poor water and food supplys, however It's also possible it could have been Hepatitis B or C.

Hepatitis A (formerly known as infectious hepatitis)
is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus which is most commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water.

Chronic hepatitis B and D.
The hepatitis B virus is a liver infection that is spread by contact with an infected person’s blood or other body fluid. Hepatitis B, like hepatitis C, causes liver inflammation and injury that can lead to cirrhosis.

Chronic hepatitis C.
The hepatitis C virus is a liver infection that is spread by contact with an infected person’s blood. Chronic hepatitis C causes inflammation and damage to the liver over time that can lead to cirrhosis.

I don't think it would have been Mustard or any of the other poison gases used because they caused terrible damage to the lungs and skin but I can find no mention of liver damage.

What was the symptoms given by the soldier and maybe we can try to match up with the known ones of Hepatitis.

Regards
Adrian