[Alcohol-related admissions in a community hospital]

We reviewed 150 alcoholic patients (1.3% of all admissions) hospitalized in this department during 1983-1987 and compared them with a random sample of 450 other patients in the department during the same period. In the alcoholic group were more males, an increased prevalence of those of Yemenite and Indian origin, and a higher rate of unemployed. The clinical presentation was heterogenous. In 26% of the chronic alcoholics no abnormality related to alcoholic injury was detected. The other patients in that group suffered from a variety of clinical problems related to alcohol. In 41% the immediate cause of admission was related to chronic alcoholism, and in others (31%) we observed alcohol-related pathology in addition to the main cause of hospitalization. We wish to increase awareness of the medical problems of chronic alcoholics encountered in a community hospital in order to promote quicker diagnosis, avoid unnecessary diagnostic procedures, and lead to better medical care.