[Epidermiology of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Mortality and factors of poor prognostic].
BACKGROUND
Patients with alcoholism and alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) have a worse prognostic.


METHODS
We have performed a retrospective analysis of the hospital discharges in with diagnosis include AWS from 1 of January of 1997 to the 31 of December of 2002.


RESULTS
We identified 924 hospital stays with 2.4% of mortality (1.6% in Internal Medicine). Mortality is associated with greater age (57 years +/-15 vs. 49+/- 13, p < 0.005), with the diagnostic of hepatic cirrhosis (6.2 vs. 1.8%, p < 0.005), bacteraemia (10 vs. 1.8%, p < 0.001) and respiratory infection (9.6 vs. 1.8%, p < 0,001), with a lower mortality when AWS was secondary diagnosis (1.2 vs. 4.2%, p < 0.005). In multivariant analysis were associated with more mortality age (OR 1.03), hepatic cirrhosis (OR 3.4), bacteriemia (OR 4.5) and respiratory infection (OR 3.6).


CONCLUSIONS
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome mortality could to benefit from treatment in an Internal Medicine Service.
Puerta Louro
R
R
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña. rbpl5422@povisa.es
Otero Antón
E
E
Lorenzo Zúñiga
V
V
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol