AMOUNT AND DURATION OF ALCOHOL INTAKE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASE - AN ITALIAN MULTICENTER STUDY

We report the results of an Italian multicenter study aimed at measuri ng retrospectively the lifetime amount and duration of alcohol consump tion in non-selected consecutive patients with chronic liver disease. We used a standardized, reproducible questionnaire for measuring the l ifetime daily alcohol intake (globally and separately for wine, beer a nd spirits), total alcohol intake and duration of alcohol consumption in 1,258 patients recruited from 17 medical centers. Wine intake contr ibuted to the total alcohol intake in a proportion ranging from 44% to 85% throughout the centers. Spirits and beer intake contributed in sm aller proportions (15% to 56%; and 3% to 27%, respectively). Males sho wed higher alcohol intake: those from northern-central Italy showed si gnificantly higher intake than their southern-insular counterparts; of these, younger patients also showed a higher alcohol intake, due to a higher beer and spirit intake. Older patients showed higher intakes i n southern-insular Italy, whereas the opposite was found in northern-c entral Italy. In this area, a longer duration of alcohol consumption w as found, reflecting an earlier start in the use of alcohol. In conclu sion, we believe that measuring alcohol intake on a wide series of pat ients in a multicenter study is feasible. This should stimulate gastro enterologists to approach the relationship between alcohol and liver d isease using standardized and epidemiologically correct methods, and f orm the basis for well-designed case-control studies on a large scale, aimed at clarifying the risk of both hepatic and extrahepatic disease s associated with alcohol intake.