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News

England: Alcohol-related hospital admissions hit record levels – again

6th February 2018

Cardiovascular diseases make-up the vast majority of admissions
partially attributable to alcohol to England’s hospitals

The number of alcohol-related admissions to hospitals in England has risen yet again, with middle-aged drinkers most likely to be admitted, according to new Public Health England figures.

The February 2018 update to the Local Alcohol Profiles England dataset shows that there were almost 1.14 million alcohol-related admissions to hospitals in England in 2016/17 (broad measure), a 1.5% increase on the previous year end to March 2016 (1.12m). Trendwise, it is also the fifth increase in a row, although in rates terms, admissions remained flat.

In the twelve-month period to April 2017, the increase in admissions was taken up by partially attributable conditions – they rose by 25,000, whereas the number of wholly attributable conditions fell below 300,000 for the first time since 2012/13. Chronic diseases of a cardiovascular type presented most commonly (576,000), making up approximately 19,000 of these additional admissions on the previous year end to March 2016.

In fact, the majority of partially attributable conditions diagnosed were chronic, and partially attributable conditions in total represented 74% of all admissions to England’s hospitals by the broad measure in 2016/17.

Hospital admissions by the narrow measure fell slightly from 339,000 (650 admissions/100,000 population) in 2015/16 to 337,110 (640 admissions/100,000 population) in 2016/17. This was only the second fall since 2008/09. The number attributed to alcohol by this measure were highest among the 45–64 age group, who represented 39% of all admissions (131,870).

Regionally, the north east remains the place with the highest alcohol-related admissions rate at 65 per 100,000 persons, more than three times higher than London, at 19 per 100,000.

For more information, visit the Public Health England Local Alcohol Profiles England website.

 

More news items
Scotland: One in four alcohol-related deaths due to cancer
Supermarket alcohol 188% more affordable than thirty years ago

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