@article{ref1,
title="Alcohol-associated diseases in internal medicine: A screening study on 1 494 medical emergency patients",
journal="Leber, Magen, Darm",
year="1998",
author="Kratzer, W. and Blum, P. and Mason, R. and Schmitz, M. and Beckh, K. and Adler, G. and Novak, P. and Heimpel, H.",
volume="28",
number="3",
pages="115-121",
abstract="Alcohol represents the most significant medicosocial problem facing Germany today. Quantification of alcohol-related costs to the public health system is usually based on insurance and accident statistics or on studies with addiction-related or psychiatric focus. Data regarding alcohol-related diseases in medical emergency admissions in Germany, however, have not been available. Using a specially developed assignment diagram, a total of 1 494 medical emergency patients were screened between June and December, 1995. 206 of these patients were included in the present study. Directly or indirectly alcohol-related diseases were found in 15.7% (n = 206; males 83%, females 17%) of all emergency admissions. According to ICD-10, 34.5% of the patients admitted suffered from psychical behavior disorders incl. suicide attempt, 8.3% from neurologic diseases incl. cerebrovascular diseases, 75.5% from cardiovascular diseases and 23.3% from gastroenterologic diseases incl. esophageal varices. Acute alcohol intoxication was found in 17.5% and 13.6% developed delirium tremens. The screening instrument, which differs from test methods already developed for use in addiction treatment programmes, detected alcohol-related disorders in 15.7% of all medical emergency admissions and in 24.4% of patients aged less than 65 years. A screening schema based on medical symptoms and findings for recognition of alcohol-related disorders could be easily integrated into routine work-up of medical emergency admissions. The introduction of routine measurement of alcohol concentration in exhalation could be useful.<p /><p>Language: de</p>",
language="de",
issn="0300-8622",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}