The number of young people admitted to hospital with liver disease linked to drinking too much alcohol has soared, government figures for England show. Hospital admissions for alcoholic liver disease among the 18-40 age group rose from 2,967 in 1997-98 to 6,495 in 2006-07. The figures were obtained by Liberal Democrat MP Paul Burstow.
The figures show that among all age groups there were 43,548 hospital admissions in 2006/07 for alcoholic liver disease. Another 27,040 hospital admissions were linked to the toxic effects of alcohol. In addition, there were 158,656 admissions for mental health problems related to drinking, including 6,612 among those aged 17 and under. BBC News
The news increases pressure on the Government to publish guidance for parents on children's drinking, which was promised for 'early 2009' in the Youth Alcohol Action Plan. Children can legally drink alcohol at home from the age of five under parental supervision, but Alcohol Concern sparked fierce debate (eg at Civitas and hinted at in this article...Mark Bellis resigned from AC's board soon after) in its A Glass Half Empty report by calling for a change in the law, to make it illegal for under 15s to drink alcohol.
The advice from the chief medical officer, which will set out the health risks of alcohol to help parents set "safe boundaries", is now due in the spring, reports the BBC.
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