Prevalence of medical comorbidity in alcohol dependence syndrome

Objective: Diverse medical conditions are associated with alcohol use disorders. Early diagnosis, prompt intervention, and treatment will reduce the morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of life. The aims of this study are to evaluate the frequency and nature of medical comorbidity in inpatients with alcohol dependence syndrome and to study the relationship between medical comorbidity and clinical and sociodemographic factors. Materials and Methods: This is an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional clinical study conducted on 100 consecutive patients with ICD10 diagnosis of alcohol dependence syndrome admitted to the deaddiction center, department of psychiatry, Father Muller Medical College Mangalore. All patients were assessed for evidence of concurrent medical comorbidity. Appropriate scales were used for assessment. Medical diagnosis was based on clinical findings, laboratory, and radiological investigations. The data of 100 patients were analyzed with appropriate statistical methods. Results: 65% of inpatients with alcohol dependence syndrome have medical comorbidity, of which 23% of alcohol-dependent individuals have diabetes mellitus, 20% have hypertension, and 51% of subjects have other medical comorbidities. Conclusion: The prevalence of medical comorbidity particularly diabetes mellitus and hypertension is significantly higher in inpatients with alcohol dependence syndrome. Our findings points to the importance for the need for early diagnosis of comorbid medical diseases