Truro hospital staff say alcohol admissions are rising (From Falmouth Packet)

Truro hospital staff say alcohol admissions are rising

11:20am Saturday 29th November 2008

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

Staff at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro say that the number of alcohol-related admissions are rising.

The increase in numbers follows a recent report that claimed nearly 40 per cent of heavy drinkers lie about the amount of alcohol they drink.

Liz Farrington, advance nurse practitioner for Hepatology at the hospital, estimated that there were now as many as 600 alcohol-related admissions to the hospital a year, half of which get treated in her department.

Mrs Farrington said: “It really is a growing problem and we are seeing younger and younger people with problems like cirrhosis of the liver and other major issues involving neuro and cardiac problems. It really is a time bomb, which is going to go off in about ten years, we reckon.”

She added: “We have about ten deaths a year. The young people that die tend to die suddenly and we may never have seen them. Then there are a number on transplant lists, who no longer drink, but may die waiting for a liver transplant.”

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)