Abstract
To determine the prevalence and spectrum of alcohol-related diseases in a general hospital inpatient population, data of 1288 patients newly admitted to a city general hospital, who had been examined with regards to alcoholism, were surveyed. The sample consisted of 625 medical and 663 surgical patients aged 18-64 years. In 21% (29.3% of the men and 9.4% of the women), inpatient treatment was due to an alcohol-related disorder. The highest occurrence was found in the 35-55-year-olds. Frequently diagnosed disorders in alcohol-dependent patients included delirium tremens (12.8%), seizures (11.4%), head injuries (9.4%) and cirrhosis of the liver (8.1%), whereas alcohol abusers had often been injured. Excluding patients with alcohol-related diseases decreases the proportion of men in the sample by 6.2%. The prevalence of physically-damaged alcoholic patients in general hospitals suggests that preventative measures, such as consultation services, could be applied efficiently in this setting.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Alcohol and Alcoholism |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 179-184 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISSN | 0735-0414 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1997 |
Funding
—This study was supported Ministry of Health.
Research Areas and Centers
- Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)
