Eight To 14 Weekly Units Of Booze Boosts Overall Tally Of Days Spent In Hospital

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 07 Jul 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Downing between eight and 14 units of alcohol a week boosts the total number of days spent in hospital, finds research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Twenty one weekly units is the government's recommended maximum weekly tally of alcohol for men.

The study included almost 6,000 working men, aged 35 to 64 during the early 1970s, from West and Central Scotland. Participants underwent a comprehensive health screen to check for underlying and potential health problems and were quizzed about their weekly alcohol consumption.

This was categorised as none; 1 to 7 units; 8 to 14; 15 to 21; 22 to 34; and 35 or more.

Their health was then tracked for an average of 28 years, using national hospital activity data, focusing on heart and respiratory diseases, stroke and alcohol related illness/conditions.

The results showed that men drinking over 22 units a week had a 20% higher rate of admissions into acute care hospitals than non-drinkers.

But relatively low levels of alcohol consumption gave rise to a higher number of bed days. Drinkers of eight or more weekly units spent longer in hospital than non-drinkers, with length of stay progressively increasing the higher the weekly consumption.

Those drinking the most chalked up a 58% higher use of beds.

The number of admissions for stroke, and more time spent in hospital as a result, started with a weekly tally of 15 units, and progressively increased the more weekly units were consumed.

Those downing 22 or more weekly units had more admissions for respiratory illness, but they had the lowest rates of admission for coronary heart disease. Non-drinkers had the highest rates of admission for this.

Men drinking 22 or more units a week had more admissions for mental health problems. But non-drinkers had a higher rate of admissions for mental ill health than those who drank between 1 and 14 units a week.

The authors conclude that alcohol has a "notable effect" on health service use and therefore overall costs to the NHS.

Source
Journal Of Epidemiology And Community Health