Alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis mortality after lifting ban on beer sales in country with state alcohol monopoly

Thorarinn Tyrfingsson; Sigurdur Olafsson; Einar Stefan Bjornsson; Vilhjalmur Rafnsson

doi:10.1093/eurpub/cku127

Alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis mortality after lifting ban on beer sales in country with state alcohol monopoly

Eur J Public Health. 2015 Aug;25(4):729-31. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/cku127. Epub 2014 Jul 31.

Authors

Thorarinn Tyrfingsson¹, Sigurdur Olafsson², Einar Stefan Bjornsson³, Vilhjalmur Rafnsson⁴

Affiliations

¹ 1 SAA -National Center of Addiction Medicine, Reykjavik, Iceland.
² 2 The National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland.
³ 2 The National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland 3 University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
⁴ 4 Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland vilraf@hi.is.

PMID: 25085471
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/cku127

Abstract

Background: The objectives were to study alcohol consumption per capita and liver cirrhosis mortality in the population of Iceland.

Methods: The Statistic Iceland website supplied alcohol sales figures and death rates.

Results: The alcohol consumption increased 30% during the study period 1982-2009, because of increase in beer and wine, and decrease in spirits consumption. Chronic liver cirrhosis mortality increased significantly for men when comparing the 1982-88 rates (before beer ban was lifted) with the rates for 2003-09.

Conclusion: The findings do not support the suggestion that spirits consumption rather than the total alcohol consumption affect the cirrhosis mortality.

MeSH terms

Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology*
Alcoholic Beverages / statistics & numerical data
Beer / statistics & numerical data*
End Stage Liver Disease / mortality
Female
Humans
Iceland / epidemiology
Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / mortality*
Male
Mental Disorders / epidemiology