Binge-drinking women wrecking their health

LADETTE culture in Scotland has caused an "alarming" rise in women in their 20s suffering stomach ulcers, pancreatitis and liver disease - usually found in middle-aged heavy drinkers.

The warning from Scottish doctors follows the latest publication by the NHS of Alcohol Statistics Scotland, which found there has been a 50% rise in "alcoholic gastritis" in females aged under 34 - rising from 20 cases in 2003 to 31 last year. Alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis has risen sharply for women aged 18 to 24 - from 12 cases in 2003 to 19 cases in 2004.

Doctors have reported seeing female patients as young as 21 who have developed stomach ulcers as a consequence of binge-drinking. Medical experts warn that if women do not pay attention to these health risks they could end up suffering even more serious conditions, including diabetes.

The trend in binge-drinking has also led to a rise in liver disease in women in their early 30s. The statistics reveal that in Scots women aged 25 to 34 it has increased by more than 20% in the past year.

Dr Peter Rice, consultant psychiatrist at NHS Tayside’s alcohol problem service, said that many young women are drinking to excess on a regular basis, which is resulting in "serious health complications".

He said: "Conditions like gastritis and pancreatitis, which is a very serious and painful condition, are certainly on the rise. I have spoken with Scottish surgeons who have seen women in their 20s with pancreatitis, which is highly unusual, and we are very concerned that it is becoming quite common nowadays."

Rice added: "Even more concerning is that over the past five years we have recognised a noticeable trend in the rising rates of liver disease among women in their early 30s."

Rice warned that drinkers must pay attention to the signs their bodies give them after a night out. He said: "What people might put down to simple acidity following a night’s heavy drinking may in fact be masking quite serious internal bleeding. That can lead to very serious consequences."

Dr Bruce Ritson, honorary fellow of Edinburgh University’s School of Molecular & Clinical Medicine and an expert in the treatment and prevention of alcohol-related problems, said he had witnessed an increase in young women patients coming to him with alcohol-related problems. "There’s been a rise in quite a lot of the physical consequences of binge-drinking in women," he said.

"Gastritis can be a serious condition but pancreatitis is more serious and is considered one of the most painful conditions. It can lead to a form of diabetes, because one of the functions of the pancreas is to make insulin."

Alcohol-awareness groups are calling for a crackdown on the drinks industry.