Cost of diseases related to alcohol consumption in the Brazilian Unified Health System.

Evandro Silva Freire Coutinho,Gabriela De Azevedo Abreu,Denizar Vianna Araujo,Luciana Bahia,Laura Augusta Barufaldi,Thainá Alves Malhão,Camila Ribeiro Pepe

doi:10.1590/s1518-8787.2016050005741

Abstract

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To estimate the direct costs associated to outpatient and hospital care of diseases related to alcohol consumption in the Brazilian Unified Health System.METHODS Attributable populational risks were estimated for the selected diseases related to the use of 25 g/day or more of ethanol (risk consumption), considering a relative risk (RR) ≥ 1.20. The RR estimates were obtained from three meta-analysis. The risk consumption rates of the Brazilian population ≥ 18 years old were obtained by a national survey. Data from the Hospital Information System of SUS (HIS-SUS) were used to estimate the annual costs of the health system with the diseases included in the analysis.RESULTS The total estimated costs for a year regarding diseases related to risk consumption were U$8,262,762 (US$4,413,670 and US$3,849,092, for outpatient and hospital care, respectively).CONCLUSIONS Risk consumption of alcohol is an important economic and health problem, impacting significantly the health system and society.

Highlights

Alcohol consumption and related problems can vary around the world, the burden of alcohol-related diseases affects most countries
4.5% of the global burden of disease and injury is attributable to alcohol, these figures can vary from 1.3% to 12.1% across the world[7]
The population attributable risk is the proportion of the incidence of a disease in the population exposed to a particular risk factor that would, be eliminated if exposure was eliminated

Summary

Introduction

Alcohol consumption and related problems can vary around the world, the burden of alcohol-related diseases affects most countries. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2010)a states that the use of alcohol is one of the main risk factors for poor health, premature deaths, disabilities, and global burden of disease, compromising both individual and social development. The WHO estimates that, in 2004, 2.5 million individuals worldwide died of alcohol-related causes, which represents around 4.0% of the total number of deathsa. 4.5% of the global burden of disease and injury is attributable to alcohol, these figures can vary from 1.3% to 12.1% across the world[7]. The impact of alcohol use on these conditions depends on two aspects: the volume consumed and the pattern of drinking

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Conclusion