Alcohol abuse 'biggest killer'

Soaring levels of alcohol abuse among British women have lead to an alarming increase in cirrhosis of the liver, the Government's chief medical officer is warning today.

Professor Liam Donaldson is using his first annual report to underline that unprecedented levels of drinking are now the biggest killer of women.

Alcohol abuse is increasing more rapidly among young women in Britain than anywhere else in the western world. Between the ages of 18 and 24, twice as many women as men are drinking dangerous quantities.

Cirrhosis of the liver now kills 1,600 women a year - 400 more than seven years ago and 300 more than cervical cancer.

Experts believe the problem is largely the result of equal opportunities in the workplace.

Research published year in the United States found that women who drank heavily were likely to have a degree, never to have married, to have no children and to be employed in a male-dominated occupation.

The picture is similar in Britain, with problem drinking more common among young professional women.

The findings will fuel concern about the British "ladette" culture - typified by former radio DJ Zoe Ball and TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson - in which women vie with men in boasting about their alcohol intake.

As female income has increased, the price of alcohol has fallen in real terms. The introduction of alcopops, aimed mostly at women and young people, has also been a key factor.

Research shows that women tend to be more susceptible to liver damage from alcohol. They develop diseases such as cirrhosis after a comparatively shorter period of heavy drinking, and at a lower intake than men.

A recent report predicted female alcohol consumption would rise 30 per cent between 1994 and 2004. Professor Donaldson's-report will increase pressure on the Government to introduce a national strategy to tackle alcohol abuse, involving education, public campaigns, counselling and treatment.

The director of Alcohol Concern, Eric Appleby, said such a strategy is "well overdue" and would play a critical role in halting the rise of teenage drinking.

He said: "We need to work hard with kids to make them understand the impact of alcohol.

"The drinks industry has produced new types of bars and new types of drinks which are targeted at young people and women."

Professor Donaldson's intervention was also welcomed by liver specialist Professor Roger Williams, who treats former soccer star George Best.

"Hopefully it will drive the message home," he said. "Cirrhosis is a terrible disease which causes the most awful deaths. It is something no one should ever want to suffer from. For some people it's a true addiction, but for others it's the same old disregard for their wellbeing."

The report is expected to highlight other causes for concern, including health inequalities between North and South, failures to treat high blood pressure, a rise in cases of the e-coli 0157 food bug and failings in the treatment of epilepsy sufferers.