Patterns of alcohol consumption in Mexico and mortality from alcohol consumption related diseases: an epidemiological state-clustered study

Objective: The present study aims to describe the patterns of alcohol consumption in Mexico by state, emphasizing the age at onset of alcohol consumption and the epidemiologic magnitude of deaths due to the selected causes related to these medical conditions. Methods: This epidemiological study has an observational, descriptive, and retrospective design. A total of 73,088 deaths occurred in Mexico due to alcoholic cardiomyopathy, alcohol-induced pancreatitis, and alcoholic liver disease between 2016 and 2020; the annual rate was 11.3 in 2016 and 12.3 in 2020, showing an increase in the studied period. Results: The early onset of alcohol drinking was reported by one of every four responders. Individuals with binge drinking patterns reported an onset of < 18 years of age in 37.8%. At the state level, in Mexico, the early onset of alcohol consumption and binge drinking are directly correlated with age at death due to alcoholic cardiomyopathy, alcohol-induced pancreatitis, and alcoholic liver disease, with average age at death of 55.5 years. Discussion: Multilevel, cross-national, and multidisciplinary measures are urgently needed because mortality due to alcohol consumption is a preventable problem. Still, many more issues of social and health-related nature can also be prevented by approaching the alcohol consumption patterns.