Nagaland’s lucrative IMFL trade-II

Consumption of spurious and adulterated liquor causing public health concern

Atono Tsükrü Kense
Kohima | October 13

“Alcoholism in Nagaland remains a huge public health concern because of the illegal inflow, and consumption of spurious and highly adulterated liquor,” as per the North East Artists Network (NEAN) Drop In-Center (DIC) for alcoholics and District Hospital Dimapur.

According to a senior physician at NHAK, there is rapid development of cirrhosis at a young age adding, “Most of the young people who have been drinking for 2-3 years are developing cirrhosis.”

The physician who spoke to The Morung Express on condition of anonymity said that though there is no official proof or evidence, “As we treat patients with alcohol related ailments, our assumption is spurious/adulterated liquor which is rapidly damaging the liver leading to alcoholic liver disease (ALD).”

The youngest ALD patient he has treated is a 25-year-old. According to the physician, the patient is too young to develop cirrhosis, and added that many young people have died and are dying because of ALD.

“No doubt, people are also dying because of alcohol consumption everywhere in the world, but Nagas are dying at a much younger age,” he noted, based on years of experience treating such patients.

Although there is lack of official record or data relating to alcohol related ailments, Senior Specialist Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK), Dr Angto’s independent research has revealed the number of alcohol related deaths in district hospitals across the State.

The research was conducted for the period 2013 till July 2018, covering district hospitals across the state on ‘Alcohol Liver Disease admission and death’. Dr Angto said that there were no records and data from the hospitals prior to 2013.

The data made available to this newspaper registered a total record of 4,051 patients admitted with alcohol related ailments and 479 deaths (2013-2018). According to it, District Hospital Mokokchung registered the highest number of patients admitted followed by NHAK, Dimapur and Tuensang. (See boxes)

The data covers only the district hospitals and not the private hospitals and clinics where a considerable number of people go for treatment.

Offering an explanation of what Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) is, Dr Kejavisa Savino, Consulting Physician said, “When a normal person starts drinking alcohol, they go through the earlier phase called alcohol hepatitis (inflammation of the liver cell) and gradually deposition of fats in the liver (fatty liver). As a person continues to drink, both the hepatitis and fatty liver increases and it reaches a stage where we get a condition called ‘cirrhosis’ – a chronic disease of the liver.”

When a person has cirrhosis, he elaborated that the liver becomes very stiff and hardens with the damage of the liver cell and additional deposition of the fats in the liver. “As it progresses further, the liver shrinks resulting in a condition called portal hypertension due to the increase of pressure in the liver cell. The patient is at very high risk of bleeding from the oesophagus and stomach resulting in acute liver failure,” he further explained.

Besides liver disease associated with alcohol, Dr Savino also said, “We see central nervous related illnesses, which we feel is associated to contamination in the spurious alcohol.”

Number of admission and deaths 2013-2018

(ALD admission and death from government hospitals)

2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		2018 (till July)
Adm.	Death	Adm.	Death	Adm.	Death	Adm.	Death	Adm.	Death	Adm.	Death
267	95	740	51	786	111	780	95	820	80	658	47

 

 

DISTRICT HOSPITAL	ADMISSION	DEATHS
Wokha	276	53
Tuensang	171	2
Dimapur	911	88
NHAK	935	54
Mokokchung	956	54
Mon	69	0 (Most of the serious cases were referred to higher centre. Therefore deaths information (outcome) not available.
Phek	171	2
Longleng	57	6
Zunheboto	60	0
Peren	50	12
Kiphire	140	3
Naga Hospital ICU	331	145
(Data from 2013-July 2018 | Source: Dr Angto)

 

This is the second of a three-part series.