Quantifying Alcohol-Related Mortality: Should Alcohol-Related Contributory Causes of Death be Included?

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess whether alcohol-related mortality data in the UK should be extended to include contributory as well as underlying cause of death. Methods: A total of 101,320 deaths registered in Northern Ireland between 2001 and 2007 were analysed to determine the quantity a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford) 2010-07, Vol.45 (4), p.374-378
Main Authors: Durkin, Aimee, Connolly, Sheelah, O’Reilly, Dermot
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Alcohol Drinking
Alcohol related
Alcohol related mortality
Alcohol-Related Disorders - epidemiology
Alcohol-Related Disorders - mortality
Alcoholism
Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning
Biological and medical sciences
Cause of Death
Child
Child, Preschool
Death
Death Certificates
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Logistic Models
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Mortality
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland - epidemiology
Prevalence
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Socioeconomic factors
Toxicology
Young Adult
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Summary:Aims: The aim of the study was to assess whether alcohol-related mortality data in the UK should be extended to include contributory as well as underlying cause of death. Methods: A total of 101,320 deaths registered in Northern Ireland between 2001 and 2007 were analysed to determine the quantity and characteristics of those with an underlying or contributory alcohol-related cause of death. Results: Alcohol was found to be an underlying cause of death in 1690 cases (1.7% of deaths) and a contributory cause in a further 1105 cases. Analyses show that the addition of alcohol-related contributory causes of deaths would increase the male–female ratio, result in steeper socio-economic gradients and amplify the apparent rate of increase of alcohol-related deaths. The significant contribution of alcohol to external causes of death, such as accidents and suicide, is also more evident. Conclusions: Using only underlying cause of death undoubtedly underestimates the burden of alcohol-related harm and may provide an inaccurate picture of those most likely to suffer from an alcohol-related death, especially among younger men.
ISSN:0735-0414
1464-3502
DOI:10.1093/alcalc/agq025