Panaji: The Goa Medical College sees between 140 and 160 admissions of chronic liver disease every month. Alarmingly, every year the state also sees a little over 300 deaths due to liver cirrhosis. While this data is frightening, tackling alcoholism remains a challenge for govt and society.
GMC medical superintendent Dr Rajesh Patil, who works closely with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), said there is a growing concern of the sizeable number of younger patients who are developing chronic liver disease. “Two to three decades ago, we saw patients in their forties or fifties with liver cirrhosis, but we now have them in their twenties,” said Patil. The trend is in sync with the drop in the age of people taking to alcohol—between the ages of 12 and 14.
The tertiary care hospital records around 300 deaths a month, of which 30per cent are caused by alcoholism or alcohol-related incidents. These include incidents like drunk driving, developing diseases like cancer, strokes and kidney failure.
Experts say there is a need to raise awareness among students about alcoholism, as well as among the medical fraternity to mitigate the challenge which is only growing.
“Alcoholism is a disease, not a disgrace, so we must keep talking about it,” said Dr Ashish Deshpande, the founder of Centre for Mental Health Advocacy, Research and Treatment Services.
Deshpande added that since schools will have future alcoholics, evidence-based interventions in schools are necessary, as well as synchronised efforts to disseminate information throughout the population.
He said that according to a study, one third of suicides are under the influence of alcohol in India. Two-thirds of domestic violence cases, 40per cent of job absenteeism and 80per cent of medical emergencies reported in any govt hospital are linked to alcoholism.
“I don’t have to be drinking and driving to land in a hospital. Any other person driving under the influence of alcohol can knock me down, and I will need medical help,” said Deshpande.
“Awareness among the medical fraternity is also necessary to make them realise that examination of patients is important to pick up danger signals early,” Patil said, adding that when a patient’s laboratory reports show abnormalities linked to alcoholism, a doctor should refer the patient to the right centre or a psychiatrist for help.
Since treating alcoholism is a continuous process, there’s likely to be relapse cases, and a joint effort is needed, said Patil.
Deshpande said the current approach — lesser emphasis on prevention and greater focus on treatment — needs to change. “It has been statistically proven that preventive efforts are economically more viable than expenses incurred on treatment.”
“If illness is detected at the primary level, the recovery will be faster. We must spend more on preventing diseases too,” he said.
