The International Classification of Diseases does not include a diagnosis specifically related to ‘excessive alcohol consumption’. A 2008 paper by the Department ‘The cost of alcohol harm to the NHS in England: An update to the Cabinet Office (2003) study’ estimated the 2006-07 cost of hospital admissions where a primary or secondary diagnosis is wholly attributable to alcohol at £183 million in 2008-9 prices. A copy of this paper has been placed in the Library. Those diagnoses defined as wholly attributed to alcohol were:
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (142.6)
Alcoholic gastritis (K29.2)
Alcoholic myopathy (G72.1)
Alcoholic polyneuropathy (G62.1)
Alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing's syndrome (E24.4)
Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol (G31.2)
Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol (F10)
Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol (X45)
Ethanol poisoning (T51.0)
Methanol poisoning (T51.1)
Toxic effect of alcohol, unspecified (T51.9)
Chronic pancreatitis (alcohol induced) (K86.0)
Estimates of other hospital and non-hospital costs of treating patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of excessive alcohol consumption are not available.
A Cabinet Office (2003) study Alcohol misuse: How much does it cost? estimated the cost of hospital admissions in 2000-01 at £126 million in 2001 prices. This used a different methodology to the Department's report’s and so the estimates are not directly comparable.
Data for other years are not available.