[Two year follow-up of inpatients with alcohol-related diseases].
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to study the outcome and compliance of both medical and alcoholism treatment in alcoholics discharged from a general hospital.


METHODS
This was a 2 years prospective follow up study of a cohort of 100 inpatients referred to the Alcohol Unit during the first semester of 1998.


RESULTS
After 2 years, 9 patients had died and 14 had been referred to other hospitals. 15% of patients refused medical treatment from the beginning and alcoholism treatment was initially refused by 31% of alcoholics. At 2 years of follow up, compliance rates were 46% for medical treatment and 10% for alcoholism treatment. All patients under treatment for alcoholism were also good compliers of medical treatment. Survival analysis for alcoholism treatment at 2 years was 19%, with higher rates in patients with psychosocial problems and previous alcohol consultations. The probability of being alive was 89%.


CONCLUSIONS
Few alcoholics are detected. Most of them display high levels of severity and poor prognosis, with high mortality rates. Compliance with follow up treatment is low. There is a clear correlation between compliance of alcoholism and medical treatment.
Monras
Miquel
M
Unidad de Alcohología, Institut Clínic de Psiquiatria i Psicologia, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. mmonras@clinic.ub.es
Ortega
Lluisa
L
Mondon
Silvia
S
Balcells
Merce
M
Gual
Antoni
A
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome