"In January, connect with life!”, with the aim of raising awareness for alcoholic liver disease, a consequence of high alcohol consumption.

This challenge aims to encourage everyone to adopt a healthier lifestyle, throughout the year. The consumption of alcoholic beverages by young people, especially in connection with social and nightlife, is very worrying.

The liver is one of the organs most damaged by alcohol consumption, one of its consequences being hepatic steatosis, better known as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis; however, there are also indirect consequences such as those resulting from road accidents, for example. These situations, when not treated or prevented, seriously harm health and can even lead to death. The “Dry January” initiative has been taking place simultaneously in several countries since 2013, and in Portugal this is the third time that the challenge has been promoted.

According to the latest estimates available from the WHO Global Information System on Alcohol and Health for Portugal, it was found that, in 2019, alcohol consumption was higher among men, with 19.5 litres of pure alcohol per capita per year, than women, who consumed 5.6 litres.

Alcohol dependence in Portugal has increased by almost 50% in the last decade, but the demand for help has remained stable, requiring greater intervention to detect these patients and treat them.

Although the majority of patients with alcohol dependence continue to be men, there is an increase in alcohol consumption among women and young people. Among young people, not only has consumption increased in quantity, but it has also increased at younger ages.

Alcoholism is a complex disease, with its origin being multifactorial. Clinical presentations differ greatly because there are primary and secondary alcoholism, patients who drink every day, others only occasionally, but who have pathological drinking and are unable to stop. They have no control over consumption. Sometimes it is very difficult to get a diagnosis because people do not always complain about this problem. Less than 10% of patients with alcohol dependence seek treatment, that is, 90% do not seek help. It is a complex disease from an etiological and diagnostic point of view and screening is not always recommended.

In 80% of cases, alcoholics are male and 20% are female. In the case of women, the stigma of this disease is greater, because alcohol consumption is seen as something more normative among men. They often drink in secret; they deny this problem and the most common symptom is depression. Doctors must be on alert and carry out screening, as the symptoms and types of consumption are very varied. In the case of men, there is usually a genetic and environmental predisposition; In women, the most common condition is depression.

For more information contact Grupo HPA Saude on (+351) 282 420 400.