The majority of patients treated for alcohol-related problems are young men, according to the report.

© HEMEDIA / SWNS Group

Alcoholism places more strain on intensive care units in Scotland than the rest of the UK, health officials have warned.

Around a quarter of patients treated in intensive care units in Scottish hospitals have alcohol problems according to the Scottish Intensive Care Audit Group.

In a report released on Wednesday, the group estimated that it cost the NHS in Scotland around £9m a year to treat alcohol disease.

According to the study, the majority of patients with such problems to intensive care units were men and tended to be younger than those admitted for general health treatment.

Dr Timothy Geary, anaesthetic registrar at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow, co-wrote the report. He stated: "Alcohol disease adversely affects the outcome of critically ill patients and the burden of this in Scotland is higher than elsewhere in the UK.

"Our study of 771 patients admitted to intensive care units in Scotland showed that a quarter of admissions were alcohol related and that nearly three-quarters of those affected were male.

"Patients with alcohol problems tended to be significantly younger and admissions from deprived areas of the country were also more likely to be alcohol related."

The statistics come out of a month-long audit of Scotland's 24 intensive care units last year. Of the 771 admissions looked at, 83% were unplanned, 25% were alcohol related and 22% of the patients had chronic alcohol disease.

Dr Geary added: "Patients with alcohol problems also needed to be mechanically ventilated for longer. We estimate that, overall, alcohol-related admissions cost intensive care units across Scotland £9m a year."

The Scottish Intensive Care Audit Group collects data from all hospitals in Scotland for the NHS and advises on critical care. The study, published in the online journal Anaesthesia, also said a review of mortality figures in Scotland for 2003 found that the number of deaths related to alcohol were underestimated by half.

The cost of treating alcohol misuse on the NHS has more than tripled to £392.8m since 2003. Tackling alcohol problems has been a stated priority of the Scottish Government and legislation on the minimum pricing of units has already been passed.

Further plans to lower the drink-drive limit in Scotland are to be brought before Parliament later this year.