title: [Medicosocial characteristics of hospitalized alcoholic patients in 2 internal medicine departments of hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland].
abstract: Two prospective studies were performed in the medical services of two hospitals located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland to assess the prevalence of alcoholism and the comparative medico-social characteristics of alcoholic and nonalcoholic patients aged 18 to 75. Both investigations used the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, with a cut-off score of 5. The prevalence of alcoholism was similar in the two institutions (19.6 and 20.5%) and was much higher in males (30 to 32%) than in females (3 to 5%). Among alcoholics, the percentage of unmarried or divorced patients was higher than in nonalcoholics, as was the percentage of unemployed and subjects from lower socio-economic brackets. The most frequent type of alcohol-related disease was alcoholic liver disease, encountered in 25% of alcoholics in both services. Cigarette smoking was also much more frequent in alcoholics (60%) than in nonalcoholic patients (29%). The length of stay was 2 days longer for alcoholics in both hospitals, despite the lower mean age of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Département de médecine interne, CHUV, Lausanne.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Trisconi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Werra
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paccaud
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Magnenat
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yersin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008019:Life Style; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology
vernacular_title: Caractéristiques médico-sociales des patients alcooliques hospitalisés dans deux services de médecine interne d'hôpitaux de Suisse romande.