Correspondence

Medical Disorders of Alcoholism

N Engl J Med 1996; 334:406February 8, 1996

Article

To the Editor:

Dr. Lieber's article on medical disorders of alcoholism (Oct. 19 issue)1 is an articulate and comprehensive review of the many complications of alcoholism, including malnutrition, exposure to toxic metabolites, carcinogenesis, liver and pancreatic injury, gastritis, and cardiomyopathy. I think it is important to point out that the mortality from alcohol-related trauma is approximately the same as the death rate from all the other health problems of chronic alcoholism combined.2,3 The author states that this drug exacts a toll of about 100,000 lives and $100 billion to $130 billion each year.3,4 these figures include deaths and injuries from alcohol-related trauma. Alcohol-related injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, causing a disproportionate number of years of potential life to be lost, because trauma deaths characteristically occur in younger age groups.5

Sharon B. Meropol, M.D.
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14222

5 References

1. 1

   Lieber CS. Medical disorders of alcoholism. N Engl J Med 1995;333:1058-1065
   Full Text | Web of Science | Medline

2. 2

   Reyna TM, Hollis HW Jr, Hulsebus RC. Alcohol-related trauma: the surgeon's responsibility. Ann Surg 1985;201:194-197
   CrossRef | Web of Science | Medline

3. 3

   McGinnis JM, Foege WH. Actual causes of death in the United States. JAMA 1993;270:2207-2212
   CrossRef | Web of Science | Medline

4. 4

   Angell M, Kassirer JP. Alcohol and other drugs -- toward a more rational and consistent policy. N Engl J Med 1994;331:537-539
   Full Text | Web of Science | Medline

5. 5

   Premature mortality due to alcohol-related motor vehicle traffic fatalities -- United States, 1987. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1988;37:753-755
   Medline