Beer and alcohol are still destroying the health of Vietnamese people.

Patients hospitalized due to long-term alcohol use are cared for and treated at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The terrible effects

The Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases said it had admitted patient V.D.P. (42 years old, residing in Ha Tinh ) to the emergency room in critical condition with symptoms of severe headache, vomiting, prolonged high fever and impaired consciousness.

According to his family, Mr. P. had a history of alcoholism for many years but had never had a regular health check-up. About two weeks before being hospitalized, the patient had many unusual symptoms but continued to drink alcohol every day.

After being treated at the provincial level without success, Mr. P. was transferred to the central level and diagnosed with Cryptococcus meningitis - a rare but dangerous disease that often occurs in people with weakened immune systems. Doctors also determined that the patient was in the advanced stage of cirrhosis - a direct result of prolonged alcohol use.

MSc. Dr. Nguyen Kim Anh - Emergency Department (Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases) explained: "Alcoholic cirrhosis causes the patient's immune system to be severely weakened, creating conditions for opportunistic agents such as Cryptococcus fungus to invade. This is one of many common consequences in patients with long-term alcoholism."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), on average, each Vietnamese person aged 15 and over consumes more than 8.3 liters of pure alcohol per year, nearly double the global average. The rate of alcohol consumption among men in Vietnam is up to 77%, among the highest in Southeast Asia.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that in Vietnam, each year there are about 40,000 deaths related to alcohol - a number that the Ministry of Health considers "very alarming". At the same time, 30% of hospitalizations due to diseases related to the liver, pancreas and nervous system are related to alcohol use. Of these, cirrhosis, acute pancreatitis and peripheral neuropathy are the most common groups of diseases. Alcoholism also increases the risk of mouth, esophageal, liver and colon cancer. In addition, people who regularly use alcohol are at risk of anxiety disorders, depression and memory loss many times higher than those who do not use it.

WHO also pointed out that alcohol is the direct cause of more than 200 diseases, including non-communicable diseases such as cirrhosis, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Vu Truong Khanh - Digestive - Hepatobiliary Center (Bach Mai Hospital) analyzed: "Beer and alcohol cause many consequences such as traffic accidents, causing disorder in public places, especially for human health. Studies around the world have shown that people who drink alcohol from moderate to heavy will increase the risk of oral cavity, pharynx and laryngeal cancer from 2 to 5 times compared to people who do not drink alcohol. For esophageal cancer, just drinking alcohol will increase the risk of cancer from 1.3 to 5 times compared to people who do not drink alcohol. Colon cancer also increases from 1.2 to 1.5 times in people who drink alcohol from moderate to heavy. Drinking alcohol a lot also increases the risk of pancreatic cancer from 1.17 to 1.74 times... Beer and alcohol contain ethanol - a non-toxic substance. However, when entering the body, ethanol is mostly metabolized in the liver and forms acetaldehyde - a substance that damages liver cells, leading to liver fatty degeneration, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. This substance is also a factor causing cancer of organs in the body.

From social habits to medical burden

Despite the dangers, for many people, the use of alcohol is still viewed in a rather “tolerant” way. Alcohol is still considered a means of “mandatory communication” in many events, holidays, work and daily life. The culture of “being invited to drink and not drinking is an insult” is still common at parties.

Some people even believe that drinking alcohol in moderation or in moderation improves health, especially for the heart - something that no data or research worldwide has been able to prove. Meanwhile, others believe that drinking "good" wine and beer will not harm the liver.

A 2023 survey by the Institute for Health Strategy and Policy (Ministry of Health) showed that 59% of people who drink alcohol are not aware of the long-term health risks, while more than 40% of people who regularly drink alcohol do not go for regular health check-ups. This is one of the reasons why many serious cases are only discovered at a late stage.

Dr. Tran Quoc Bao - Department of Disease Prevention (Ministry of Health) commented: "The rate of alcohol consumption among adults in Vietnam is very high, especially among men. The worrying thing is the lack of understanding or underestimation of the consequences that makes drinkers unable to actively control their drinking."

Health experts say that to prevent the harmful effects of alcohol, it is more important to change public awareness - from considering alcohol as "part of culture" to considering it "a health risk".

It is necessary to promote education in schools, mass media and include it in preventive health programs to improve understanding of alcohol and early prevention. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the role of primary health care in early detection of alcohol-related diseases, encourage regular health check-ups, especially for those at risk such as those who have been drinking for many years, or have symptoms of fatigue, right hypochondriac pain, jaundice, and unexplained weight loss.

According to daidoanket.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/bia-ruou-van-dang-tan-pha-suc-khoe-nguoi-viet-post402019.html