Cited by 1,174Alcohol Consumption and Health EffectsSubstance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesGlobal Public Health Policies and Epidemiology

The relation between different dimensions of alcohol consumption and burden of disease: an overview

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Rehm, Jürgen, Baliunas, Dolly, Borges, Guilherme L. G., Graham, Kathryn, Irving, Hyacinth, Kehoe, Tara, Parry, Charles D., Patra, Jayadeep +6 more·2010·Addiction

Abstract

Aims As part of a larger study to estimate the global burden of disease and injury attributable to alcohol: to evaluate the evidence for a causal impact of average volume of alcohol consumption and pattern of drinking on diseases and injuries; to quantify relationships identified as causal based on published meta‐analyses; to separate the impact on mortality versus morbidity where possible; and to assess the impact of the quality of alcohol on burden of disease. Methods Systematic literature reviews were used to identify alcohol‐related diseases, birth complications and injuries using standard epidemiological criteria to determine causality. The extent of the risk relations was taken from meta‐analyses. Results Evidence of a causal impact of average volume of alcohol consumption was found for the following major diseases: tuberculosis, mouth, nasopharynx, other pharynx and oropharynx cancer, oesophageal cancer, colon and rectum cancer, liver cancer, female breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, alcohol use disorders, unipolar depressive disorders, epilepsy, hypertensive heart disease, ischaemic heart disease (IHD), ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, conduction disorders and other dysrhythmias, lower respiratory infections (pneumonia), cirrhosis of the liver, preterm birth complications and fetal alcohol syndrome. Dose–response relationships could be quantified for all disease categories except for depressive disorders, with the relative risk increasing with increased level of alcohol consumption for most diseases. Both average volume and drinking pattern were linked causally to IHD, fetal alcohol syndrome and unintentional and intentional injuries. For IHD, ischaemic stroke and diabetes mellitus beneficial effects were observed for patterns of light to moderate drinking without heavy drinking occasions (as defined by 60+ g pure alcohol per day). For several disease and injury categories, the effects were stronger on mortality compared to morbidity. There was insufficient evidence to establish whether quality of alcohol had a major impact on disease burden. Conclusions Overall, these findings indicate that alcohol impacts many disease outcomes causally, both chronic and acute, and injuries. In addition, a pattern of heavy episodic drinking increases risk for some disease and all injury outcomes. Future studies need to address a number of methodological issues, especially the differential role of average volume versus drinking pattern, in order to obtain more accurate risk estimates and to understand more clearly the nature of alcohol–disease relationships.

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Authors
Rehm, J., Baliunas, D., Borges, G. L. G., Graham, K., Irving, H., Kehoe, T., Parry, C. D., Patra, J., Popova, S., Poznyak, V., Roerecke, M., Room, R., Samokhvalov, A. V., & Taylor, B.
Affiliations
  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CA)
  • Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (MX)
  • Western University (CA)
  • South African Medical Research Council (ZA)
  • World Health Organization (CH)
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
Corresponding author
Rehm, Jürgen
Venue
Addiction
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2010-04-08
Volume
105
Issue
5
Pages
817-843
ISSN
  • 0965-2140 (ISSN-L)
  • 1360-0443
OpenAlex
W2128842312
Cited by
1,174
References
292
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 76 · 2021: 67 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 66 · 2018: 77 · 2017: 102 · 2016: 84 · 2015: 96 · 2014: 89 · 2013: 98 · 2012: 76
FWCI
53.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Addiction (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (HHSN267200700041C)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (HHSN267200700041C)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology
Keywords
alcohol consumption, drinking patterns, binge drinking, global burden of disease, alcohol-related injuries, alcohol-related disorders, dose-response relationship, alcohol quality, alcoholism, fetal alcohol syndrome, ischemic heart disease, stroke, liver cancer, cancer, diabetes mellitus, depression, liver cirrhosis, preterm birth, childbirth complications
MeSH terms
Alcohol Drinking, Chronic Disease, Epidemiologic Methods, Female, Humans, Infections, Male, Review Literature as Topic, Meta-Analysis as Topic, Cost of Illness

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