Correlations between Clinic Preferences and Alcohol Use Disorder: an Alcohol Cohort Study in Northern Taiwan in 2022

TL;DR

This study explores how clinic preferences and alcohol use disorder are linked, showing that patients often seek medical help only after liver or gastrointestinal complications arise.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the diagnostic patterns and clinic preferences of alcohol addiction patients in Taiwan.

Findings

Male patients aged 41-60 years were most prevalent among those with alcohol-related disorders.

Gastrointestinal departments were the most common for patient presentation, followed by Kidney and Neurological.

Patients tend to delay psychiatric help and seek care only after complications like liver disease occur.

Abstract

Chronic alcoholism can result in severe liver conditions such as fatty liver disease and cirrhosis, potentially leading to life-threatening complications and premature death.

This study investigated the age-sex distribution of patients with alcohol addiction and aimed to identify differences in clinic department preferences based on their principal and additional diagnoses in Taiwan, in 2022.

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the diagnostic patterns of 334 patients with alcohol addiction from the Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Figure 1 depicts patient demographics, highlighting 297 male and 37 female patients with alcohol-related disorders. Males aged 41-60 years were particularly dominant, as shown in Figure 2. Principal diagnoses, including alcoholic liver disease and acute pancreatitis, are detailed in Table 1. Additional diagnoses, such as chronic pancreatitis and esophageal varices, are presented in Table 2. For departmental preferences, Table 3 reveals the Gastrointestinal (GI) department as the top choice, followed by Kidney, Neurological, and Cardiovascular/Chest.Table 1.Top 5 Principal Diagnoses of Alcohol Addiction Patients.ICD-10-CMPrinciple diagnosisTimesRankK70Alcoholic liver disease431K85Acute pancreatitis272F10Alcohol related disorders183A41Other sepsis144K86Other chronic pancreatits115
Table 2.Top 5 Additional Diagnoses of Alcohol Addiction Patients.
ICD-10-CMAdditional diagnosisTimesRankF10Alcohol related disorders401K86Other chronic pancreatits182I85Esophageal varices163K70Other sepsis16E87Other disorders of fluid, electrolyte and acid-base balance154R65Symptoms and signs specifically associated with systemic inflammation and infection105
Table 3.Top 5 Departments for Alcoholism Patient Presentation.DepartmentTimesRankGastrointestinal1621Kidney392Neurological253Cardiovascular Chest154

Top 5 Principal Diagnoses of Alcohol Addiction Patients.

Top 5 Additional Diagnoses of Alcohol Addiction Patients.

Top 5 Departments for Alcoholism Patient Presentation.

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The study revealed that patients with alcohol addiction often delay seeking psychiatric help instead of presenting for medical care only after liver or gastrointestinal complications occur. This underscores the crucial need for better health education regarding the relationship between alcohol addiction and liver disease. Prompt recognition and early intervention for substance addiction can significantly reduce these risks and improve patient outcomes.

None Declared

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