Prevalence of alcoholism in a family practice center

One hundred forty-seven adult patients seeking care at a university family practice center were screened for alcoholism. Approximately one half were given the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), and the rest were interviewed by a trained interviewer who administered the MAST and a shorter questionnaire (the CAGE) and used her overall clinical impression to gauge their likelihood of being alcoholic. The two groups were demographically similar, as were the results of the screening. There were 28 patients (19.1 percent) with a MAST score greater than 5, and 24 patients (16.3 percent) were thought to be alcoholic. The prevalence of alcoholism was much higher in men (P less than .001), but no other demographic differences were found. Twenty-four clinic charts of patients with alcoholism identified in the study were reviewed for evidence of physician awareness of alcohol abuse, but in only 12 was alcohol use mentioned at all, and in only two was alcoholism diagnosed. These findings are consistent with prior published reports of incidence of alcoholism in other settings.