Five of the top 10 causes of death among Native Americans are related to alcohol abuse and dependence, according to researchers from the University of Colorado at Denver.

HealthDay News reported March 27 that researcher Jay Shore and colleagues studied data collected from tribes in the Southwest and Northern Plains and found that both culturally distinct populations suffered disproportionately large numbers of deaths from accidents, suicides, homicides, and cirrhosis. "These causes of deaths occur at rates at least three to four times the national average," said Shore, head of the school's American Indian and Alaska Native Programs.

The researchers also noted a link between alcohol use and a number of other health problems, ranging from kidney and bladder dysfunction to pneumonia and pancreatitis. "The total count of medical conditions was also significantly related to alcohol abuse/dependence, with a higher count being associated with the outcome," Shore said.

The research appears in the April 2006 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.