Alcohol-related hospitalizations in N.W.T. 5 times national rate

A new report suggests 475 hospitalizations in the Northwest Territories last year were caused entirely by alcohol more than anywhere else in Canada, by population.

The study, entitled Alcohol Harm in Canada, was released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information on Thursday.

Those 475 hospitalizations in 2015-2016 translate to 1,315 per 100,000 residents a rate that's more than five times the national average, and twice as high as in Yukon, which had the second highest number of hospitalizations per capita.

There were 676 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents last year in Yukon; in Nunavut, there were 421. Across Canada, the average for the same period was 239.

More admissions for alcohol than heart attacks

Altogether, about 77,000 Canadians were hospitalized because of alcohol harm last year, including alcohol poisoning, alcohol withdrawal, liver disease and chronic alcohol abuse.

That's more than the number of admissions related to heart attacks.

"That was quite surprising for us," said Geoff Hynes with the Canadian Institute for Health Information. "That works out to be 210 hospitalizations a day."

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The number of admissions for heart attacks in 2015-2016 was 75,000.

Hynes says the report examines hospitalizations that are entirely caused by the harmful consumption of alcohol.

It does not include people who are hospitalized for injuries they sustain while drinking or people who are treated in emergency departments without being admitted to hospital.

Men more oftenhospitalized for alcohol harm

On average, Hynes says menare more likely than womento be hospitalized for alcohol harm. One exception, though, is teenage girls who are more likely to be hospitalized than teenage boys.

From an age standpoint, he says middle-aged adults made up over half of the people hospitalized in 2015-2016.

Geographically, there were higher hospitalization rates in lower-income, rural and northern areas.

Hynes says that could point to a lack of services for at-risk individuals or the way in which health care is administered in remote areas.

"Northern communities occupy a very large land mass and so how health care is organized and delivered in those communities is perhaps very different than it's organized and delivered elsewhere," he said.

Hynes said clinicians may also be more inclined to admit patients if they've travelled a great distance to receive care, thus increasing hospitalization numbers.

Heavy drinking still a probleminN.W.T.

Two years ago, a Statistics Canada study found the N.W.T. had the highest proportion of people in the country who reported heavy drinking.

That's defined as having five or more drinks per occasion for men or fourfor women, at least once a month over the span of a year.

Hynes says that remains an issue in the territory.

"There's a much higher rate of heavy drinking in the Northwest Territories compared to the rest of Canada," he said.

At the time, 32.7 per cent of residents reported heavy drinking compared to the Canadian average of 17.9 per cent.

Hynes says the territory's above average rates of both alcohol sales and heavy drinking open the door for alcohol harm.

Reducing the impacts of alcohol

Hynes says the factors that contribute to alcohol harm are complex, but there are ways to limit consequences associated with alcohol consumption.

He says government control over the alcohol retail environment is a good first step, but one that hasn't had much success in jurisdictions like Nunavut where the government has complete ownership.

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Other solutions referenced in the report include restricting the availability of alcohol by regulating when it can be sold. Raising the price of alcohol can also help reduce harm.

Hynes says the relationships between consumption, hospitalization and policies are complex and vary considerably by region, but that it's important to monitor the damaging effects of alcohol.

He says the purpose of the report is to provide policy-makers and people working in health care with a reliable indicator that considers every Canadian jurisdiction.