Female to male mortality ratios for alcohol-related disorders: possible indicator of susceptibility in different sexes.

We investigated the possibility that organs other than liver in women were more susceptible to alcohol than in men. Female:male cirrhosis mortality ratio in different countries was used as an index of female susceptibility to alcohol. The F:M cirrhosis ratio correlated significantly with F:M ratios for cerebrovascular disease and cancers of the esophagus, liver and lung. This preliminary evidence suggests that other organs and/or disease processes in women may be affected more by alcohol than in men.