title: [Alcohol withdrawal syndrome at the internal medicine department of a general hospital; epidemiology and hospital costs].
abstract: Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is an admission problem and can also occur in hospitalized patients. We endeavoured to ascertain the exact epidemiology and hospital cost of AWS based on a review of the charts of patients admitted during 1986, 1987, 1988 (total = 78). The statistical analysis of the differences was performed by chi-square test with a significant level = or less than of 0.05. The results were: total hospital prevalence of AWS = 2.44%, hospital prevalence by season = 3.33% (spring), 2.04% (summer), 2.28% (fall), 2.19% (winter). Outpatients presentation = 79.49%, highlighting fever syndrome of unknown origin (FSUO) (16.4%) and pneumonia (11.48%); hospital presentation = 20.51% focusing acute pancreatitis (31.25%) and pneumonia (25%) as first causes of admission. The significant association between FSUO and spring and winter (84.62%); relation male: female = 5.5: 1; mean age = 42.57 years; decade distributions = 1st decade 0%, second = 1.28%, third = 11.64%, fourth = 35.90%, fifth = 24.36%, sixth = 16.67%, seventh = 8.97%, eighth = 1.28%, ninth = 0%; mean admission time = 14.12 days; total hospital cost of out-patients presentation = 15.087.370 pesetas.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital General de Galicia, Clínico Universitario, Santiago de Compostela.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gippini Pérez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rodríguez López
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torre Carballada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomé y Martínez de Rituerto
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barrio Gómez
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000191:economics; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
vernacular_title: Síndrome de abstinencia alcohólica en el servicio de medicina interna de un hospital general; epidemiología y coste hospitalario.