Premium
Clinical and Laboratory Predictors of All Causes Deaths and Alcohol‐Attributable Deaths Among Discharged Alcohol‐Dependent Patients
Author(s) -
Park Subin,
Hong Jin Pyo,
Choi Soon Ho,
Ahn Myung Hee
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01943.x
Subject(s) - medicine , alcoholic liver disease , population , alcohol , proportional hazards model , cirrhosis , attributable risk , alcohol dependence , liver disease , epidemiology , demography , environmental health , biochemistry , chemistry , sociology
Background Alcohol dependence is associated with increased mortality, but it is not clear whether certain laboratory abnormalities on admission predict premature death in discharged alcoholic patients. We examined total deaths and alcohol‐attributable deaths among discharged alcohol‐dependent patients in K orea, and the associated risk factors including laboratory abnormalities. Methods The subjects consisted of 442 patients who were admitted for alcohol dependence to a general hospital located in S eoul, K orea from J anuary 1989 to D ecember 2006. At the end of 2009, the risk of death among the discharged alcohol‐dependent patients was compared with that of the general population of K orea by calculating standardized mortality ratios. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the risk factors for total deaths and alcohol‐attributable deaths in these patients. Results Twenty‐nine percent (127/442) of the discharged alcoholic patients died during the study period. Mortality among these patients was 6.67 times higher than in the K orean population as a whole (7.12 times for men and 2.62 times for women). The most common causes of death were alcoholic liver disease and unspecified liver cirrhosis. Recurrent admission and low albumin level at admission were independently associated with both all causes and alcohol‐attributable mortality. High bilirubin level at admission was independently associated with alcohol‐attributable mortality. Conclusions These observations indicate a high risk of death in discharged alcohol‐dependent patients, particularly those who are repeatedly admitted to psychiatric wards or who yield abnormal laboratory findings.