Alcohol consumption and alcohol-attributable burden of disease in Switzerland, 2002.
OBJECTIVE
This analysis estimated alcohol-attributable burden of disease for Switzerland.


METHODS
Exposure distributions were taken from the 2002 Swiss Health Survey and adjusted for per capita consumption. Risk relations were taken from meta-analyses. Mortality and burden of disease data were taken from the World Health Organization.


RESULTS
Overall consumption and alcohol-attributable mortality and burden of disease in Switzerland were high compared to European and global averages, especially among women. Overall in Switzerland in 2002, 2016 deaths (5.2% of all deaths in men, 1.4% in women), 28,939 years of life lost (men: 10.5%, women: 4.9%) and 70,256 disability adjusted life years (men: 12.9%, women: 4.2%) were attributable to alcohol. These numbers are net numbers already incorporating the cardioprotective and other beneficial effects of alcohol.


CONCLUSIONS
Limitations of the approach used are discussed. In addition, questions of causality and confounding are addressed.
Rehm
Jürgen
J
ISGF/Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction, Zurich. juergen.rehm@isgf.unizh.ch
Taylor
Benjamin
B
Roerecke
Michael
M
Patra
Jayadeep
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014944:World Health Organization