Prevalence of alcohol dependence and abuse in general practice

Andreas Hill*, Hans Jürgen Rumpf, Ulfert Hapke, Martin Driessen, Ulrich John

*Corresponding author for this work
40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to deliver representative epidemiological data about the prevalence of alcohol abuse and dependence in general practices in an urban area. In 12 general practices at Luebeck, a Northern German city with 220,000 inhabitants, a total of 929 patients (aged between 14 and 75 years) were screened using the CAGE and the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test. If one of these screening questionnaires or the General Practitioners' assessment of the patient indicated an alcohol problem, the patient underwent a standardize diagnostic interview using the alcohol section of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry. The prevalence rates according to ICD-10 or DSM-III-R were 3.5% for alcohol abuse and 7.2% for alcohol dependence, the sex ratio was 1:2.8 (female:male). These results are compared with previous findings, and general epidemiological implications of this study are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAlcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
Volume22
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)935-940
Number of pages6
ISSN0145-6008
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1998

Research Areas and Centers

  • Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)

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