People in colder, less sunny regions more susceptible to alcoholic cirrhosis

New Delhi: A research suggest that cold weather and fewer sun hours can increase the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis making people living in these regions more susceptible to it.

A new data from more than 190 countries presented on Saturday at the International Liver Congress 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, suggests that every increase in temperature of one degree Celsius was linked with a decrease in the alcohol-attributable fraction (AAF) of cirrhosis of 0.3 per cent.

Heavy alcohol intake causes a perception of warmth, while fewer sunlight hours have been linked to depression, which, in turn, may lead to alcohol abuse.

As a result, the researchers hypothesised that colder countries would have higher rates of alcohol consumption and therefore an increased burden of alcoholic cirrhosis.

"Our research reveals that a country's climate and geographical location have a startling influence on the burden of liver cirrhosis," said lead author Dr Neil D. Shah, and senior author Dr Ramon Bataller from the University of North Carolina.

"As average temperatures and yearly hours of sunshine decrease and latitude increases, rates of alcohol-attributable cirrhosis increase. This suggests that drinking alcohol excessively to combat the cold and dark could put people at increased risk of suffering from alcoholic cirrhosis."

(With Agency inputs)