Abstract
Background: Alcohol is an organic substance which is known to produce dependence. The burden and mortality related to alcohol use and related illnesses have a significant psycho-social and economic impact in most of the countries. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence, describe the patterns of alcohol use disorders and risk factors among patients admitted to the medical units of Teaching Hospital Kandy for a period of one year from December 2016 to November 2017. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in the medical wards of Teaching Hospital Kandy for a period of one year from December 2016 to November 2017. A total of 386 participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. An interviewer administered, structured questionnaire and a screening tool, namely the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were used to collect data. Results: The prevalence of alcohol consumption in the sample was 67.6% (N=261). All were consuming arrack. According to the alcohol consumption score, a majority of the alcohol consumers (n=183:70.1%) were in the low risk level (p Conclusions: The prevalence of alcohol use among patients admitted to medical wards of Teaching Hospital Kandy is high. Among patients with medical disorders who consumed alcohol, in many the alcohol intake was at a problematic level. Considering the total AUDIT score, most of the patients were in the hazardous, harmful or high risk groups, which need special attention to minimize the risks of alcohol related problems in the future. Therefore specific management strategies combined with psychiatric and medical treatment programmes should be planned in the future.
Highlights
Alcohol is an organic substance which is known to produce dependence[1]
Alcohol dependence was higher among participants with a low monthly income (OR=3.075:95%CI=1.575 - 6.003)
The prevalence of alcohol use among patients admitted to medical wards of Teaching Hospital Kandy is high
Summary
The patterns of alcohol consumption and the types of alcohol related problems vary from country to country[2]. Intentional and unintentional injuries, malignancies, hepatic disorders and psychological dependency are common physical and psychological sequela of alcohol consumption[4]. Each year more than three million mortalities are reported due to alcohol related problems. The average number of patients admitted due to disorders related to alcohol consumption were 7353 per year from 2004 to 201210. The management of alcohol use disorders may contribute to a significant portion of the national health care expenditure. The burden and mortality related to alcohol use and related illnesses have a significant psychosocial and economic impact in most of the countries
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