Last year was the first time alcohol-related conditions were monitored for public health
A new report has revealed that alcohol-related conditions accounted for more hospital admissions than heart attacks in Canada last year.
According to the report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), there were reportedly 75,000 hospital admissions for heart attacks last year. Over the same period, 77,000 hospital admissions linked to conditions that are “100 per cent caused by the harmful consumption of alcohol,” reported CBC News.
CIHI looked at the statistic for the first time last year. “Our expectation is that this will be an important indicator for monitoring public health," Geoff Hynes, manager of the Canadian Population Health Initiative for CIHI, told CBC News.
The alcohol-related conditions that CIHI looked at included both mental and physical health conditions. The most prevalent mental conditions were chronic alcohol use disorder (24%) and alcohol withdrawal (23%), while the most observed physical conditions were liver cirrhosis (13%) and acute pancreatitis (6%).
Aside from the observed illnesses, excessive alcohol consumption carries an increased risk of death. Citing the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, CIHI said there were 5.082 alcohol-attributable deaths in Canada in 2015. The Public Health Agency of Canada has also said the substance is a leading cause of injury and death in Canada, whether due to impaired driving or to illnesses known to be linked to alcohol.
The CIHI also cited various societal costs. In 2014-15, alcohol-caused hospitalizations cost an estimated $8,100 and lasted 11 days on average, compared to $5,800 and seven days for other causes. Accounting for law enforcement, lost productivity, as well as prevention and research initiatives, alcohol-related harm cost Canada more than $14 billion in 2002 — the most recent year that such numbers were compiled.
The report also noted broader social impacts such as unemployment, crime, injuries from assault, workplace accidents, and vehicle collisions. Hynes said the toll from these incidents is impossible to tally because they involve complex relationships influenced by disparate factors.
On average, more alcohol-related hospitalizations were observed in the territories than the provinces, and more in the west than the east. Higher alcohol sales — measured in liters per capita — generally corresponded to a higher prevalence of heavy drinking, which typically also tracked to higher hospitalization rates.
High rates of all three statistics were seen in BC, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon. In Quebec, however, there were higher-than-average alcohol sales and consumption rates, but low hospitalization rates.
CIHI noted that there is significant variation in the “alcohol policy landscapes” across Canada, which could explain the deviation. For instance, a period of rapid growth in alcohol-sale privatization in BC could have led to a rise in alcohol related deaths in the province. The provinces and territories also have different approaches in pricing alcohol.
“For us, those differences represent opportunities for potential improvement,” Hynes said. “Measuring this, and monitoring these rates can help us identify whether the policies and approaches are effective in reducing alcohol harm."
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According to the report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), there were reportedly 75,000 hospital admissions for heart attacks last year. Over the same period, 77,000 hospital admissions linked to conditions that are “100 per cent caused by the harmful consumption of alcohol,” reported CBC News.
CIHI looked at the statistic for the first time last year. “Our expectation is that this will be an important indicator for monitoring public health," Geoff Hynes, manager of the Canadian Population Health Initiative for CIHI, told CBC News.
The alcohol-related conditions that CIHI looked at included both mental and physical health conditions. The most prevalent mental conditions were chronic alcohol use disorder (24%) and alcohol withdrawal (23%), while the most observed physical conditions were liver cirrhosis (13%) and acute pancreatitis (6%).
Aside from the observed illnesses, excessive alcohol consumption carries an increased risk of death. Citing the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, CIHI said there were 5.082 alcohol-attributable deaths in Canada in 2015. The Public Health Agency of Canada has also said the substance is a leading cause of injury and death in Canada, whether due to impaired driving or to illnesses known to be linked to alcohol.
The CIHI also cited various societal costs. In 2014-15, alcohol-caused hospitalizations cost an estimated $8,100 and lasted 11 days on average, compared to $5,800 and seven days for other causes. Accounting for law enforcement, lost productivity, as well as prevention and research initiatives, alcohol-related harm cost Canada more than $14 billion in 2002 — the most recent year that such numbers were compiled.
The report also noted broader social impacts such as unemployment, crime, injuries from assault, workplace accidents, and vehicle collisions. Hynes said the toll from these incidents is impossible to tally because they involve complex relationships influenced by disparate factors.
On average, more alcohol-related hospitalizations were observed in the territories than the provinces, and more in the west than the east. Higher alcohol sales — measured in liters per capita — generally corresponded to a higher prevalence of heavy drinking, which typically also tracked to higher hospitalization rates.
High rates of all three statistics were seen in BC, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon. In Quebec, however, there were higher-than-average alcohol sales and consumption rates, but low hospitalization rates.
CIHI noted that there is significant variation in the “alcohol policy landscapes” across Canada, which could explain the deviation. For instance, a period of rapid growth in alcohol-sale privatization in BC could have led to a rise in alcohol related deaths in the province. The provinces and territories also have different approaches in pricing alcohol.
“For us, those differences represent opportunities for potential improvement,” Hynes said. “Measuring this, and monitoring these rates can help us identify whether the policies and approaches are effective in reducing alcohol harm."
Related stories:
Pot grows in popularity but tobacco use down, says StatsCan
Alcohol not so good for you after all
