Proportion Of Abstinence Research Articles

GENDER ALCOHOL USE DISPARITIES AND (POSSIBLE) CONSEQUENCES ON MEN AND WOMEN HEALTH STATUS

In this study we approached gender differences of alcohol consumption and, also, the way these differences are reflected in women and men harmful effects of drinking. We focused on Romanian evidences but we reported our results to European realities. The method was secondary data analysis, applied on information provided by World Health Organization, allowing us to create a European countries database, containing patterns of gendered consumption and some harmful consequences of drinking. Available data didn't allow us to analyze the important disparities between gendered patterns of alcohol consumption; so, we had to content us with some selection from scientific literature. Romania has a relatively high level of alcohol consumption but, also, an important proportion of abstainers and low consumers. The apparent contradiction could be explained by the high share of people with „heavy episodic drinking”. To note that women in Romania consume 4.2 times less alcohol than men, have a proportion of abstinence 3.1times higher and the percentage of those who drink daily or weekly is 6.1 times less than of men. Regarding the consequences of alcohol consumption, its dependence prevalence has a very low level in Romania but men have a 3.3 times higher risks. „Alcohol use disorder” has, again, a low prevalence but males have a 3.2 higher probability of AUD. Finally, we mention that in Romania there is an important proportion of deaths attributable to alcohol (for men the proportion is 2.6 higher than for women). An important finding: as much as global alcohol consumption increases, most of gender differences diminish.

SY18-2 * EFFICACY OF DISULFIRAM FOR THE TREATMENT OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE ASSESSED WITH A MULTI-CENTER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Introduction. The efficacy of disulfiram in preventing an alcoholic relapse has been controversial. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of supervised disulfiram for the treatment of alcohol dependence with a multi-institutional study in Japan. Methods. In a single-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled study, we recruited 109 patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence under ICD-10 criteria. The patients were randomly allocated to four treatment groups, depending on whether they took disulfiram (200 mg daily) or a placebo or whether they received adjunctive therapy consisting of mailed letters which delineated and emphasized the harmful effect of alcohol and the management of alcohol craving. The proportion of abstinence among the four groups at 26 weeks after discharge was the primary outcome measure. Furthermore, we examined the proportion of abstinence in patients with inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2). Results. There were no significant differences among the four groups in terms of abstinent patients or study drop-outs. Patients with inactive ALDH2 significantly sustained abstinence with the use of disulfiram (P = 0.044). Conclusions. Supervised oral disulfiram use followed by intervention via letters seems to be ineffective for increasing abstinence. We indicated the effectiveness of disulfiram for the maintenance of abstinence in patients with inactive ALDH2.

Efficacy of Disulfiram for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence Assessed with a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

The efficacy of disulfiram in preventing an alcoholic relapse has been controversial. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of supervised disulfiram for the treatment of alcohol dependence with a multi-institutional study in Japan. In a single-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled study, we recruited 109 patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence under ICD-10 criteria. The patients were randomly allocated to 4 treatment groups, depending on whether they took disulfiram (200mg daily) or a placebo or whether they received adjunctive therapy consisting of mailed letters which delineated and emphasized the harmful effect of alcohol and the management of alcohol craving. The proportion of abstinence among the 4 groups at 26weeks after discharge was the primary outcome measure. The proportion of abstinence was compared with the severity of alcohol dependence and craving. Furthermore, we examined the proportion of abstinence in patients with inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2). There were no significant differences among the 4 groups in terms of abstinent patients or study dropouts. The ratio of abstinence was not related to the severity of alcohol dependence or the degree of alcohol craving. Patients with inactive ALDH2 significantly sustained abstinence with the use of disulfiram (p=0.044). Supervised oral disulfiram use followed by intervention via letters seems to be ineffective for increasing abstinence. Further studies are necessary to prove the efficacy of disulfiram for the pharmacological treatment of alcohol dependence. We indicated the effectiveness of disulfiram for the maintenance of abstinence in patients with inactive ALDH2.

Secular Trends in Alcohol Consumption over 50 Years: The Framingham Study

Background Population trends in patterns of alcohol use are important data for policymakers but are generally based on repeated cross-sectional surveys. Methods We used self-reported alcohol consumption data collected repeatedly over 50 years (1948-2003) among 8600 Framingham Heart Study participants to determine patterns of alcohol use and disorders according to sex, age, and birth cohorts. Results Among drinkers, there was a decrease across succeeding birth cohorts in average alcohol intake: among individuals between ages 30 and 59 years, age-adjusted mean intake was 30.6, 25.5, and 21.0 g/day for those born in 1900-1919, 1920-1939, and 1940-1959, respectively, in men ( P < .001), and 14.2, 12.3, and 10.4 g/day, respectively, in women ( P < .001). In all birth cohorts, proportion of abstinence increased and average consumption among drinkers decreased with age. Furthermore, proportion of moderate use was higher but heavy use was lower in the younger birth cohorts than in the older cohorts. The proportion of alcohol from beer decreased and that from wine increased with age for all cohorts. Among the 2 earlier birth cohorts, the cumulative incidence of an alcohol use disorder from age 40 to 79 years was much higher in men (12.8%) than in women (3.8%); it tended to be slightly higher among subjects born after 1920 than among those born 1900-1919. Conclusions We found a decrease in average intake and more wine consumption over the more than 50 years of follow-up. The cumulative incidence of alcohol use disorders, however, did not show a decrease.

The Prevalence of Asthma among the Students (7-18 Years Old) in Tehran during 2002-2003.

Asthma is one of the most common problems of childhood, responsible for a significant proportion of abstinence from school because of chronic illness. This study was carried out among the school-aged children (7-18 years) in Tehran schools during 2002-2003, in order to determine the frequency of asthma. According to the recommendation of WHO (World Health Organization), we designed a questionnaire, containing 8 standard questions, and the students were given necessary information to complete the questionnaires. The pre-high and high schools students completed the questionnaires but the parents of primary school students completed them on their behalf. The prevalence of asthma was 35.4% in Tehran; this prevalence was higher in the boys (37.1%), as compared to the girls (33.5%). The prevalence of this disease has been estimated about 39.5% in pre-high schools, 35.4% in high schools and 31.6% in primary students. Based on this survey, the most common clinical manifestations of asthma were: prolonged cough lasting more than 10 days (22.4%), and exercise induced wheezing or dyspnea (16.9%), followed by repeated dyspnea or wheezing (6.4%). The prevalence of asthma is high among the students of Tehran schools and it needs more careful screening programs along with additional information to the patients and parents about the disease.

Persistence of the Effect of the Lung Health Study (LHS) Smoking Intervention over Eleven Years

Background. Research on the long-term persistence of effects of interventions aimed at smoking cessation is limited. This paper examined the quitting behavior of individuals who were randomized to a smoking cessation intervention (SI) or to usual care (UC), at a point approximately 11 years later. Methods. The initial sample consisted of 5,887 adult smokers in 10 clinics who had evidence of airways obstruction. Two-thirds of the original participants were offered an intensive 12-week smoking cessation intervention. Of these, 4,517 were enrolled in the long-term follow-up study. Results. Randomized group assignment was a strong predictor of smoking behavior after 11 years, in that 21.9% of SI participants and only 6.0% of UC participants maintained abstinence throughout the interval. Logistic regressions identified covariates associated with abstinence. A higher proportion of abstinence was observed in participants that had been assigned to SI (OR = 4.45), were older (OR = 1.11, increment 5 years), had more years of education (OR = 1.05), and fewer cigarettes/day at baseline (OR = 0.90, increment 10 cigarettes). Conclusions. Smokers exposed to an aggressive smoking intervention program and who sustain abstinence for a five-year period are very likely to still be abstinent after 11 years.