Citation

Soderstrom CA, Dischinger PC, Smith GCS, Hebel JR, McDuff DR, Gorelick DA, Kerns TJ, Ho SM, Read KM. Accid. Anal. Prev. 1997; 29(6): 715-721.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery and Traumatology, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9370007

Abstract

A structured in-depth interview employing standardized criteria was used to determine the prevalence of lifetime and current alcohol dependence (alcoholism) in unselected consecutive patients admitted to a regional Level I trauma center. Of 629 patients, 157 (25.0%) were current alcoholics at the time of injury. An additional 87 (13.8%) were diagnosed as lifetime non-current alcoholics. There was no significant difference in the rates of current alcohol dependence among patients injured in vehicular crashes (23.5%), other unintentional trauma victims (29.3%), and those injured as a result of violence (24.6%). Of BAC+ (blood alcohol concentration positive) patients, 54.5% were current alcoholics. However, 14.4% of alcohol-negative patients were also diagnosed as alcohol dependent.