On this page:

Costs of Alcohol Use and Misuse in Scotland

« Previous | Contents |

Listen

Endnotes

i In line with the Cabinet Office paper , the Catalyst report and the IAS factsheet (2008) Alcohol and Health the following conditions are regarded as partially alcohol related.

Table i. Diseases associated with alcohol abuse

neoplasms

circulatory

gastrointestinal

Injuries and adverse events

Colo-rectal cancer

Sub arachnoid haemorrhage

Acute pancreatitis

Assaults

Oro-pharyngeal cancer

Haemorrhagic stroke

Chronic pancreatitis

Accidental drownings

Naso-pharyngeal caner

Essential hypertension

Falls

Oesophageal cancer

Ischaemic heart disease

Accidents die to fire/flames

Breast cancer

Occupational injures

Liver cancer

Motor vehicle accidents

Suicide

Although the Royal College of Physicians in A Growing Evil: - The Medical Consequences of Alcohol Abuse (1987) produced a much longer, and more detailed list of medical problems. The WHO has also published a long list of conditions with a range of alcohol attributable fractions. This is shown in Appendix 1 of Alcohol misuse: how much does it cost? Table i is the basis of the low estimates for indirect healthcare use in the Cabinet paper; the WHO list is the basis of the high estimates. There is ongoing work in Scotland to revise the classification of diseases associated with alcohol use and alcohol attributable fractions.

ii Those with a reference to alcohol in the title : i.e. drunkenness and drunk driving

iii Primary fires are reportable fires or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or fires attended by five or more appliances regardless of its actual physical location. (Reportable fires are fires which occur in a. Buildings, Caravans, trailers etc; b. Vehicles and other methods of transport (not derelict); c. Outdoor storage, plant and machinery ; d. Agricultural and forestry premises and property ; e. Other outdoor structures including post boxes, tunnels, bridges etc.)

iv Consistent with table i.

v The English legal system varies from the Scottish: crimes and offences are different: where possible costs have been attributed to crimes of assault, sexual offences; theft and vandalism.

vi The methodology for estimating the emotional and physical costs is based on health outcomes which were expressed as loss of QALYs which then had monetary values applied; these monetary values were sourced from research undertaken for the DfT.

« Previous | Contents |

Page updated: Tuesday, May 6, 2008