Those Hospitalized with an Alcohol Related Condition at Risk

Hospital patients who have alcohol use disorders are more likely to develop healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) during their hospitalizations and face much greater odds of death.

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Researchers analyzed 2007 data from U.S.inpatients. They performed a retrospective study of all patients who developed healthcare-associated pneumonia or sepsis--excluding those patients transferred from another healthcare facility.

Patients with alcohol disorders were 71 percent more likely to die and stayed at the hospital an average of two days longer, said Marjolein de Wit, associate professor of medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University and first author of the study. 

Patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia or sepsis were younger, had a lower income, had frequent emergencies, and experienced less surgery. Researchers were concerned to see more young people coming to the hospital too late to be treated adequately. Young patients do not typically see a physician unless they have been injured.

To state the obvious, conclusion = stop drinking. Or seek counseling and treatment now before serious medical conditions develop. Most of us know you often come out of a hospital sicker than you went in. So son't increase your chances of a bad outcome because of an alcohol disorder.