188 cases of excessive alcohol in hospital

In 2009 alone there were a total of 188 cases admitted to hospital due to excessive consumption of alcohol.

Answering a parliamentary question by Noel Farrugia (PL), Social Policy Minister John Dalli said such cases were broken down into three categories.

Category A covered alcohol dependence syndrome or withdrawal state when one was trying to cut down on excessive alcohol intake.

Category B included intoxication caused by alcohol in any person who was not dependent on alcohol. Category C covered cases of liver disease attributed to alcohol.

In category A there had been 64 admissions (16 women and 48 men), in category B, 91 (24 women and 67 men), and in category C, 33 (six women and 27 men).

Minister Dalli made it clear that the figures did not include people who had been examined in the Emergency Department but not admitted to any ward. The figures referred to admissions and not number of persons, because it could be that one person was admitted more than once in the same period for the same condition.