Alcohol-Related Deaths Increased for Men, Women in Recent Years

Rates of increase were higher among women than men, with 2018 to 2020 age-adjusted mortality rates up by 14.7 versus 12.5 percent

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Aug. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) — In recent years, alcohol-related deaths increased in male and female individuals, with a higher rate of increase among women, according to a study published online July 28 in JAMA Network Open.

Ibraheem M. Karaye, M.D., Dr.P.H., from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and colleagues examined sex differences in the burden and trends of alcohol-related mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2020 in a cross-sectional time series study. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were analyzed by sex and stratified by race and ethnicity, age, and census region. Data were pulled from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research site.

Overall, 605,948 alcohol-attributed deaths were identified in the United States during the study period (AAMR, 8.3 per 100,000 persons). The researchers found that the mortality burden was higher among male than female individuals, with men 2.88 times more likely to die. However, in recent years, there was an increase seen in alcohol-related deaths among both male and female individuals, with the rates of increase higher among women than men. The AAMR increased by 12.5 and 14.7 percent per year among male and female individuals, respectively, from 2018 to 2020. Across subtypes of age, race and ethnicity, cause, and region, there were differences in trends noted.

“Further research is necessary to identify the psychosocial and environmental factors associated with these trends and guide evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing alcohol-related mortality risks for all individuals, with a particular focus on developing targeted treatments to address alcohol use among female individuals,” the authors write.