Comorbidities of alcohol use disorder

Abstract

Introduction: Dual diagnosis is frequent among psychiatric patients. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) negatively affects the treatment and the progression of cooccurring disorders. The reverse could also be valid, other symptoms of other diseases and therapies may hinder the achievement and maintenance of abstinence. Aim: The aim of the present study is to assess the frequency of psychiatric and medical comorbidities, of the prescribed drugs and the hospital costs related to AUD. Methods: Using AtlasMed database, we searched the patients admitted to the Cluj County Emergency Hospital Psychiatry Department between January the 1st and December 31st 2016, with a main or secondary diagnosis of alcohol dependence. The socio-demographic (age, gender, geographic area), the psychiatric and medical diagnosis and the prescribed psychotropic medications were recorded. Results: 623 alcoholic patients were admitted to the Cluj County Emergency Hospital Psychiatry Department, during a one year span, mostly men, accounting for 23% of the total number of hospitalizations and 12.1% of the hospital costs. The most frequent psychiatric comorbidities were personality disorders, major depressive disorder (MDD), neurocognitive disorders, alcohol-related psychosis and suicide attempts. The most common medical conditions in alcoholics were alcoholic liver disease (ALD), cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, alcoholic polyneuropathy, alcoholic pancreatitis, type 2 diabetes and head injuries. The most commonly prescribed psychiatric medications were benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants and tiapride. Conclusions: Alcohol dependence has become an increasingly stringent public health problem, from the point of view of prevalence, frequent admittances, relapses and comorbidities.