Mortalidad prematura atribuible al alcohol en las comunidades autónomas

Abstract

Objective : To evaluate alcohol-related premature mortality in the autonomic communities of Spain. Material and Methods : Study data were published by the National Institute of Statistics in Natural Population Movements of 1993. The causes of death examined were related with excessive alcohol consumption. The impact of alcohol consumption on mortality in the autonomic communities of Spain was estimated using the population fractions “attributable to alcohol” (PFAA) proposed by the Centers for Disease Control of the United States. Premature mortality was evaluated using the following indicators: potential years of life lost (PYLL), rate of PYLL per 1000 inhabitants, percentage of years lost attributable to an alcohol-related cause, and average number of years lost due to alcohol. Results : The number of premature deaths attributable to alcohol in Spain in 1993 was 9974 (13.5% of all deaths). Alcohol-related deaths claimed 193,632 PYLL, 16% of the total. The rate of premature mortality due to alcohol was 6 per 1000 inhabitants. The average number of years lost per death was 19 years, meaning that most of the deaths involved adults. The male:female ratio was 4:1. This relation was conserved for each indicator in every autonomic community. Conclusion : Excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health problem in Spain because it is a risk factor for premature death.