A study of alcohol related physical diseases in general hospital patients.

We studied the prevalence of harmful use of alcohol and alcohol related diseases in newly admitted patients in a general hospital. Two hundred and ninety seven patients were screened for alcohol use with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Sixty one subjects (21%) had harmful pattern of alcohol consumption. Of these twenty eight patients (9.4%) had alcohol-related diseases, while in 33 patients (11.1%) we did not find any association between alcohol use and hospital diagnoses. Physicians' referral rate for problem drinking was low. The findings indicate the need for an active consultation service to address the specific issue of harmful drinking among patients admitted in general hospitals.