Unlike most major diseases, the mortality rate for liver cirrhosis continues to increase and is four times higher than 40 years ago.
The Cirrhosis Using Standard tests (Cirrus) algorithm was used to analyse anonymised NHS data from blood tests from 600,000 patients.
It picked up 70% of people with cirrhosis potentially months or years before they would have a medical emergency with liver disease, and the accuracy rate of the test was about 90%.
Professor Nick Sheron, of the Foundation for Liver Research, who started the study published in the journal BMJ Open, said early diagnosis could prompt a change in lifestyle and prevent serious disease.