Abstract
SummaryMore than 30,000 individuals have been investigated in the continuous screening and intervention study in Malmo. The impact of alcohol on health has been evaluated by comparing alcohol intake as established at the initial interview with results of screening investigations, clinical records, social register data and mortality analysis. In addition, large subsamples of individuals with different levels of serum GOT (gamma‐glutamyl‐transferase) have been followed up. GGT has proved to be a useful and simple tool in identifying and treating heavy drinkers and monitoring their outcome. It also appears to be a strong risk factor for short term mortality in the male population.In the intervention study, counselling and repeated feedback of GGT results in a group of middle‐aged heavy drinkers resulted in a significant reduction in sick absence, hospitalization and mortality, compared with that in a control group over a period of 60 months. As the intervention program seems to be effective in preventing alcoholism on an individual basis, there is need for more manpower and more intervention attempts within general medicine to reduce the enormous impact of alcohol on health.
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