Mortality and life‐years lost due to alcohol: a comparison of acute and chronic causes

Abstract

Objectives (i) To estimate the numbers of deaths and person‐years of life lost (PYLL) due to high‐risk alcohol consumption in Australia during 1997, using current estimates of consumption. (ii) To compare the number of deaths and PYLL due to acute conditions associated with bouts of intoxication and chronic conditions associated with long‐term misuse of alcohol Methods All Australian deaths during 1997 related to conditions considered to be partially or wholly caused by high‐risk alcohol consumption were extracted from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Mortality Datafile and adjusted by alcohol aetiologic fractions calculated for Australia in 1997. A life‐table method was used to estimate the PYLL for deaths from alcohol‐caused conditions. Main outcome measures Numbers of all deaths and PYLL due to chronic and acute alcohol‐related conditions. Results Of the 3290 estimated alcohol‐caused deaths in 1997, chronic conditions (eg, alcoholic liver cirrhosis and alcohol dependence) accounted for 42%, acute conditions (eg, alcohol‐related road injuries and assaults) for 28% and mixed (chronic and acute) for 30%. Of the 62 914 estimated potential life years lost, acute conditions were responsible for 46%, chronic for 33% and mixed for 21 %. The average number of years of life lost through deaths from acute conditions was more than twice that from chronic conditions, because the former mostly involved younger people. Conclusions In view of the societal burdens imposed by premature deaths, more effective public health strategies are needed to reduce the harm associated with occasional high‐risk drinking (as well as sustained high‐risk drinking), especially among young people.

Harm minimization in school drug education: final results of the School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP)

“…Intervention students were much less likely to consume alcohol in a harmful or hazardous manner on all follow‐up occasions. This has implications for their exposure to acute harm (World Health Organization 1999; Chikritzhs et al . 2001).…”

“…Young people have less experience, knowledge and skill in minimizing alcohol‐related harms (Saunders & Baily 1993; Australian Drug Foundation 1994). More years of life, quality of life and productivity are lost from acute alcohol‐related harm in young people than are lost from chronic diseases caused by alcohol use in older consumers (World Health Organization 1999; Chikritzhs et al . 2001).…”

The Impact of a 25-Cent-Per-Drink Alcohol Tax Increase

“…2 Drinking is also a major risk factor for a variety of adverse health outcomes, such as unintentional injuries, violence, unintended pregnancy, and cardiovascular disease. 3–7 Alcohol is also a major cause of social problems (e.g., child neglect, divorce), legal and criminal justice problems, and economic costs 4 .…”

Binge Drinking: In Search of its Molecular Target via the GABAA Receptor

“…The adverse consequences include increased risk of developing alcohol dependence, particularly during adolescence (Hingson and Zha, 2009), and a significant increase in the risk for hypertension, cardiomyopathy, alcohol poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases, liver disease, and brain damage (Crews and Braun, 2003; Naimi et al, 2003; Townshend and Duka, 2005). Perhaps the most devastating societal cost of binge drinking is a substantial proportion of alcohol-related deaths in the form of vehicle crashes [Chikritzhs et al, 2001; Center for Disease Control, and Prevention (CDCP), 2004], making binge drinking the third leading preventable cause of death in the US. Because the proportion of drinkers that binge is highest among 18- to 20-year-olds (72%; NSDUH, 2002), young drinkers contribute substantially to these fatalities (CDCP, 2004).…”