[Estimating the burden of diseases due to high alcohol consumption in Korea].
OBJECTIVE
This study estimated the burden of disease due to high alcohol consumption using DALY, a composite indicator recently developed by the Global Burden of Disease study group. The results were analyzed by age and sex.


METHODS
Firstly, high alcohol consumption-related diseases, and their relative risk (RR), were selected. Secondly, population attributable fractions (PAFs) were computed using formulae, including the relative risk (RR) and prevalence of exposure (Pe). Thirdly, the DALYs of high alcohol consumption-related diseases were estimated. Lastly, the attributable burdens of diseases due to high alcohol consumption wereconcluded as being the sum of the products that multiplied the DALYs of high alcohol consumption-related diseases by their population attributable fraction (PAF).


RESULTS
The burden of high alcohol consumption in Korea was 2992.3 person years (PYs) per 100,000 persons in men, and 1426.6 in women. For men, the high alcohol consumption-induced diseases with the five biggest burdens were liver cirrhosis, hypertensive disease, liver cancer, cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage. For women, these were cerebral infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, hypertensive disease, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
This study highlighted the attributable fraction of diseases due to exposure to high alcohol consumption, by quantifying the results of exposure to risk factors. Therefore, it is now possible to assess interventions for risk factors in quantifiable terms in each population. Finally, measuring the risk factor burdens was expected to contribute to priority setting and effective resource allocation in public health policy.
Lee
Jung-Kyu
JK
Ministry of Health and Welfare, Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine. jungkyu@mohw.go.kr
Kim
Yong-Ik
YI
Yoon
Seok-Jun
SJ
Lee
Jin Yong
JY
Lee
Heeyoung
H
Park
Jong Hyock
JH
Shin
Youngsoo
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged