OCCULT GI BLEEDING IN THE ALCOHOLIC

Consecutive admissions (1020) for alcohol detoxification were evaluate d, Twenty-two (2.2%) of the 990 patients without overt bleeding tested positive for the presence of fecal occult blood, Subsequent endoscopi c evaluation of this population revealed a substantial prevalence of p eptic ulcer disease (23.8%) and premalignant colonic neoplasia (31.6%) . Upper GI mucosal inflammation was present in all patients, As in the general population, occult blood loss in the stool of alcoholics appe ars to be an important marker for colorectal neoplasia and to be of cl inical significance in the prevention and early detection of colon can cer, Fecal occult blood should not be attributed to alcohol ingestion without the exclusion of coexistent pathology.