Report: More Canadians hospitalized due to alcohol compared to heart attacks in last two years
OTTAWA — A new survey from the Canadian Institute for Health Information says more Canadians were sent to hospitals for alcohol than they were for heart attacks.
According to the report released Thursday, between 2015 and 2016, there were approximately 77,000 hospitalizations due to conditions caused entirely by alcohol, compared to 75,000 from heart attacks. Conditions caused by alcohol include alcohol poisoning, alcohol withdrawal or liver disease caused by alcohol, and an estimated 212 Canadians were hospitalized daily for conditions caused by alcohol.
The full report can be viewed here.
Western Canada had more hospitalizations than Eastern Canada, with the exception of Nova Scotia, according to the study. And drinking rates differ by income, with those living in the lowest-income neighbourhoods having higher rates of hospitalizations than those living in the highest-income neighbourhoods.