Chronic liver disease on the up in Scotland

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by Change | 26 Feb 2010

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More people in Scotland could be in need of alcohol addiction help if new NHS figures are anything to go by.

Increasing numbers of people in Scotland are in need of alcohol addiction support, new figures have suggested.

According to the NHS, instances of chronic liver disease in the country have trebled over the last 15 years, with the alcohol-related death rate among 30 to 39-year-olds having increased five-fold since 1984.

Institute of Alcohol Studies research manager Dr Rachel Seabrook said that, while liver disease is a problem for most parts of the UK, it tends to be more severe in Scotland.

"There's a bill before the Scottish Parliament at the moment - the Alcohol Bill - which includes a whole raft of measures designed to tackle the problem," she explained.

"It will be very encouraging if most of those go through, and particularly they are proposing to introduce a minimum price for alcohol."

Dr Seabrook went on to say that one of the most important measures involves tackling cheap alcohol prices, something that is believed to have influenced the increase in alcohol-related illness.

The figures also revealed that the largest increase in chronic liver disease mortality rates among women is in the 25-29 age group.

Overall, the rate has been increasing steadily in Scotland for the past 30 years, while in the majority of other European countries it has been falling.

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