title: [Alcoholic patients hospitalized in a psychiatry unit: mortality at 14 years].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alcoholic patients show a high mortality rate. We know about the increased mortality of outpatients following specialized treatment for alcohol abuse and inpatients with organic diseases related to alcohol, but it is not clear whether alcoholics with a comorbid psychiatric profile also die prematurely.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate clinical characteristics, therapeutic evolution, survival, and factors that can better predict mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  14-year longitudinal monitoring of 91 patients hospitalized in 1993 for detoxification in a psychiatric unit and who subsequently received outpatient treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients show a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders (40.6%) and multiple periods of previous treatment (78%). After 14 years the mortality rate was 34.1%. Deceased patients more often presented cognitive decline and were more often on pensions. They were also taking more antidepressants, had less family support and were more likely to have relapsed into alcohol use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many of the factors that predict higher mortality are age-related. In younger patients, the presence of neuropsychological deterioration symptoms may indicate a premature organic disorder and probably greater risk of treatment failure, poor physical care and traumatic physical and mental situations, all of which would also increase the likelihood of premature mortality.
authors.affiliation: Unitat d’Alcohologia, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. mmonras@clinic.ub.es
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monrás
authors.forename: Lluisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ortega
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult