title: Mortality risk in a cohort of Italian alcoholic individuals treated for alcohol dependence.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the mortality risk and to explore the presence of subjects more at risk of dying in a cohort of alcoholic individuals treated for alcohol dependence over a lengthy follow-up period.
  
  
  
  A total of 2363 subjects attending 10 centres for addiction treatment for alcohol dependence were recruited.
  
  
  
  During the 17 year follow-up period, 14.7% of the entire cohort died. Total standardised mortality rates (SMR) were higher in women (SMR = 5.94) as compared with men (SMR = 4.65). Higher SMRs were found for several diseases, for traumatic episodes (SMR = 6.65) and in younger patients (18-44 age group) (SMR = 8.16). Alcoholic women showed a higher survival rate as compared with men. In addition, a higher risk of death for men and unemployed subjects, with a progressive increase of risk in line with the increase of the age of admission to treatment, and with a progressive decrease of risk after 1 year from the beginning of the treatment, was also found.
  
  
  
  This study confirms that mortality risk in alcoholic individuals in treatment is higher in comparison with the general population. Moreover, alcoholics men, unemployed, >40 years at time of admission and during the first year of treatment are more at risk to die. Thus, much more attention to patients with these characteristics should be planned by the professional staff working in centres for addiction treatment. [ Pavarin R M, Caputo F, Zoli G, Domenicali M, Bernardi M, Gambini D. Mortality risk in a cohort of Italian alcoholic individuals treated for alcohol dependence Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:186-191].
authors.affiliation: Epidemiological Monitoring Center on Addiction, Mental Health DSM-DP, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Raimondo Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pavarin
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, SS Annunziata Hospital, Cento, Ferrara, Italy.|Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'G. Fontana' Centre for the Study and Multidisciplinary Treatment of Alcohol Addiction, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, SS Annunziata Hospital, Cento, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'G. Fontana' Centre for the Study and Multidisciplinary Treatment of Alcohol Addiction, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domenicali
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'G. Fontana' Centre for the Study and Multidisciplinary Treatment of Alcohol Addiction, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.affiliation: Center on Addiction, Mental Health DSM-DP, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gambini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*
keywords: alcohol use disorders; alcoholic patients in treatment; cohort study; mortality risk