From the Guidelines
Alcohol-related illnesses occur frequently, with approximately 3.3 million deaths every year, corresponding to nearly 6% of all deaths globally, as reported in the most recent study 1.
Key Statistics
- Approximately 21% of adults report engaging in risky or hazardous drinking, and the prevalence of current alcohol dependence is about 4% 1.
- Alcohol misuse contributes to a wide range of health conditions, such as hypertension, gastritis, liver disease and cirrhosis, pancreatitis, certain types of cancer, cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression 1.
- The frequency of these illnesses correlates directly with consumption patterns - the more alcohol consumed regularly, the higher the risk.
Screening and Intervention
- Screening for harmful alcohol consumption should be done systematically in patients, by their general practitioner (GP), and in patients admitted to emergency facilities 1.
- Screening for ALD should be undertaken in patients with clinical signs suggestive of harmful alcohol consumption or liver cirrhosis 1.
- Public health policies to reduce population risk for ALD, such as pricing-based policies and regulation of availability, are effective and cost-effective in reducing ALD-related liver deaths 1.
Recommendations
- Excess alcohol consumption should be addressed using pricing-based policies and regulation of availability 1.
- Advertising and marketing of alcohol either directly or indirectly should be banned 1.
- Primary care facilities for managing AUD need to be made widely available 1.
- Patients identified through screening should undergo brief intervention and referral to a multidisciplinary team 1.
From the Research
Alcohol-Related Illness Frequency
- Alcohol-related illnesses occur frequently, with alcohol being a leading cause of liver disease worldwide 2.
- Alcohol use disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders globally, especially in high-income and upper-middle-income countries, and are associated with high mortality and burden of disease 3.
- Pathologic alcohol use affects more than 2 billion people and accounts for nearly 6% of all deaths worldwide 4.
- In the United States, alcohol is the most common substance used, and the spectrum of unhealthy alcohol use is highly prevalent, affecting nearly every organ system 5.
- Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, being a necessary underlying cause for more than 30 conditions and a contributing factor to many more 6.
Prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders
- Alcohol use disorders are undertreated, partly due to the high stigma associated with them and insufficient systematic screening in primary health care 3.
- Despite effective pharmacotherapies, less than 9% of patients who undergo any form of alcohol use disorder treatment receive pharmacotherapies 4.
- Pharmacologic treatment of alcohol use disorder is underutilized, despite the availability of multiple effective medications 5.
Health Consequences
- Complications of unhealthy alcohol use affect nearly every organ system, with one of the most frequent and potentially life-threatening being alcohol withdrawal syndrome 5.
- Alcohol consumption is an important risk factor for many health problems, including infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes, neuropsychiatric diseases, cardiovascular disease, liver and pancreas disease, and unintentional and intentional injury 6.