Alcohol-related morbidity among older career navy men

Hospital admission histories were compared for groups of Navy enlisted men identified as alcohol abusers or controls during the later years of their service careers. The alcohol abuse group had a higher mean number of hospital admissions per year and a higher mean number of days hospitalized per year than did the control group. Highest admission rates for both abusers and controls were reported in two major diagnostic categories, first, accidents, poisoning, and violence, and second, diseases of the digestive system. The rates for alcohol abusers exceeded those of controls in these and several additional diagnostic categories including mental disorders where the greatest disparity in rates of hospitalization was noted. The greatest differences in rates of specific illness between abusers and controls were observed for cirrhosis of the liver and diseases of the pancreas. Reasons for higher illness rates other than alcohol abuse were not apparent from available data.