title: Relation between average alcohol consumption and disease: an overview.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To conduct an overview of alcohol-related health consequences and to estimate relative risk for chronic consequences and attributable fractions for acute consequences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Identification of alcohol-related consequences was performed by means of reviewing and evaluating large-scale epidemiological studies and reviews on alcohol and health, including epidemiological contributions to major social cost studies. Relative risks and alcohol-attributable fractions were drawn from the international literature and risk estimates were updated, whenever possible, by means of meta-analytical techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 60 health consequences were identified for which a causal link between alcohol consumption and outcome can be assumed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future research on alcohol-related health consequences should focus on standardization of exposure measures and take into consideration both average volume of consumption and patterns of drinking.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gutjahr
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gmel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rehm
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020751:Alcohol-Induced Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D012720:Severity of Illness Index