Data on mortality during a 48-month follow-up period in a group of 141
0 alcoholics who had received inpatient treatment were evaluated. In 1
266 patients known to be either living or deceased the death rate was
7.6%. The percentage of deceased subjects was highest in the group ove
r 50 years of age. The mortality rate was higher for men (9.8%) than f
or women (4.8%); for those with more than one divorce (16.8%); for tho
se who were not fit for work (18.1%) or were retired at the start of t
he treatment (43.3%); who were employed in the alcohol business (21.7%
); who had reduced their alcohol consumption before treatment (13.4%);
who were unemployed 6 months after discharge (12.4%). The mortality r
ate was higher for those with high scores on a scale assessing calmnes
s in a personality inventory (7.9%) and low scores on a questionnaire
assessing motivation (10.9%) and insight into the need of change (12.4
%). Alcohol-related illness before the index treatment played an impor
tant role: the mortality rate was higher for those who had had Wernick
e-Korsakoff syndrome (40%), delirium tremens (15.3%), pancreatitis (13
.9%) or cardiomyopathy (14.1%). The mortality rate was higher for trea
tment dropouts (12.9%) and for those who regularly or occasionally too
k sleeping pills (28.5%), psychoactive drugs (15.1%) or other drugs (1
1.5%) during treatment. In the follow-up periods substance use had a g
reat effect on mortality. The mortality rate for those patients who st
ill abstained from alcohol after 6 months (4.4%) was only a third of t
hat for the patients who had relapsed (12.4%). Patients who took drugs
during the 18-month follow-up period also had higher mortality rates:
sleeping pills, 9.6%; psychoactive drugs, 9.7%, analgesics 10.7%. Log
istic regression identified significant variables at admission: not fi
t for work, retired, job related to alcohol, suffering from Wernicke-K
orsakoff syndrome and no insight for change.