| Article ID: | iaor19982542 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Volume: | 29 |
| Issue: | 6 |
| Start Page Number: | 715 |
| End Page Number: | 721 |
| Publication Date: | Nov 1997 |
| Journal: | Accident Analysis and Prevention |
| Authors: | Soderstrom Carl A., Dischinger Patricia C., Kerns Timothy J., Smith Gordon S., Hebel J. Richard, McDuff David R., Gorelick David A., Ho Shiu M., Read Kathleen M. |
| Keywords: | transportation: road, health services |
A structured in-depth interview employing standardized criteria was used to determine the prevalence of lifetime and current alcohol dependence (alcoholism) in unselected consecutive patients admitted to a regional Level I trauma center. Of 629 patients, 157 (25.0%) were current alcoholics at the time of injury. An additional 87 (13.8%) were diagnosed as lifetime non-current alcoholics. There was no significant difference in the rates of current alcohol dependence among patients injured in vehicular crashes (23.5%), other unintentional trauma victims (29.3%), and those injured as a result of violence (24.6%). Of BAC+ (blood alcohol concentration positive) patients, 54.5% were current alcoholics. However, 14.4% of alcohol-negative patients were also diagnosed as alcohol dependent.