Alcohol: health harm

• In Scotland, between 2001/02 and 2005/06, there was a 10% rise in the number of alcohol-related hospital episodes in general hospitals (from 35,445 to 39,061).
• The percentage rise was the same for both men and women, with alcohol-related hospital episodes increasing from 25,204 to 27,812 for men and from 10,241 to 11,249 for women
• In 2005/06 in Scotland, there were more than twice as many hospital episodes for men (27,812) compared to women (11,249) with an alcohol-related diagnosis.
• Chart 1 shows that there were more alcohol related inpatient discharges amongst those in the most deprived group (quintile 5) in 2005/06 (15,519) than those in the most affluent group (quintile 1) (2,735).
• Chart 2 shows that in Scotland, between 1997/98 and 2003/04, the number of general hospital episodes with a diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease rose by 47% (from 3,600 to 5,306).
•  The episode discharge rate for those with a diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease rose by 48% from 70.8 per 100,000 to 104.9 per 100,000 population.

Source: Information Services Division 2007(623kb)

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Chart 1