PRESS RELEASE:
A report by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) has revealed that approximately 10% of Thailand’s population, equating to 5.73 million people, has engaged in heavy drinking over the past year.
The country’s Northern region recorded the highest rates of heavy drinking, closely followed by the Northeast. The level of alcohol consumption has positioned alcohol as the second leading cause of death in Thailand, trailing only behind smoking.
The report highlighted severe health risks associated with excessive alcohol intake, including a range of liver conditions like hepatitis, fatty liver infiltration, cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. These conditions are primarily due to high levels of liver enzymes entering the bloodstream, an indicator of abnormal liver function.
Further findings from a December 2023 World Health Organization’s AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) underlined the urgency of the issue, with over 31% of participants identified as at risk of liver disease. Of those at risk, a significant number consented to liver function tests, revealing that nearly 25% had abnormal liver enzyme levels.
ThaiHealth Director Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon stressed the importance of addressing alcohol consumption as a key factor in liver damage. Symptoms linked to excessive drinking include fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, yellowing of the eyes, jaundice, and discomfort under the right rib cage, which can all potentially lead to cirrhosis if unchecked.
The liver’s capacity for recovery is evident when individuals who have been consuming excessive amounts of alcohol cease their drinking habits. According to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, the liver can take as little as one to three months to heal and restore normal function once drinking stops.
The preceding is a press release from the Thai Government PR Department.
