Incidence and characteristics of spinal cord injured patients with a family history of alcoholism.
OBJECTIVE
Of the many factors that affect the occurrence of and rehabilitation from spinal cord injury, alcohol use and abuse are particularly prominent. Persons with a family history of alcoholism are at greater risk for alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Preliminary data show a much higher than normal proportion of these persons in the spinal cord injured population. If these data are reliable, they may show that family history of alcoholism is a premorbid or comorbid factor to the occurrence of accidents that results in catastrophic injuries. Our investigation represented an evaluation of this premise.


METHODS
Male volunteer subjects (N = 100) were selected from inpatient and outpatient populations of a Veterans Affairs spinal cord injury service. Subjects received a comprehensive interview and completed two standardized questionnaires and a general information form designed to evaluate their past and present use of alcohol and the use of alcohol by their parents and relatives.


RESULTS
The incidence (45%) of spinal cord injured patients with a family history of alcoholism was over four times that found in the general population. Spinal cord injured subjects with a family history of alcoholism reported significantly more problems with alcohol before, at the time of, and after their injury.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest a relationship between the predisposition to alcoholism and accidents that result in catastrophic injury.
D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*