Continued heavy drinking and survival in alcoholic cirrhotics.

Survival of 64 male chronic alcoholic cirrhotics with first-onset ascites discharged from a gastrointestinal convalescent service was examined over a 32-mo period of study. Of 54 patients discharged as improved, 23 (43%) remained abstinent for a mean time of 14.0 mo and 15 (28%) resumed heavy drinking (greater than 2 g/kg/day). Twelve of 15 heavy drinkers died in a mean time of 7.2 mo, while all but one abstainer were alive. Differences in survival were statistically significantly different (p less than 0.001) when examined by the life-table method. Survival of 16 "moderate or binge" drinkers was not significantly different from abstainers. However, the number of rehospitalizations for liver disease was increased in this group. The study indicates that continued heavy drinking is associated with poor survival of alcoholic cirrhotics.