Comorbidity of Alcoholism with Other Nosologies

Introduction Alcoholism is defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) as "a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations." The aim of the study The aim of this study is to assess the co-occurring disorders or diseases, that are found in patients with alcoholism. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study, carried out in the Department of Alcohology and Department of Clinical Addiction and Toxicology, at the Mother-Teresa Medical Centre in Tirana. In our study, we included 330 patients, who were followed from January 2012 till June 2013. The diagnoses of alcohol abuse were based on lab exams and anamnesis. Results In this study, we included patients who were hospitalized and treated at the Mother-Teresa Medical Centre in Tirana, between January 2012 and June 2013. Neuropathies are the most common disorder in these patients, reflected by 26.6% of the cases. Moreover, the most common disease observed in these patients is Alcoholic Hepatopathy (13,6% of the cases), followed by 12,4% with multi-substance abuse. Conclusion Our data show that various diseases such as mental disorders, hepatopathy and polyneuropathy are the nosologies that more often accompany alcoholism.Keywords: alcohol abuse; co-occurring; disorder; comorbid; disease

Comorbidity of Alcoholism with Other Nosologies

Introduction Alcoholism is defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) as "a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations." The aim of the study The aim of this study is to assess the co-occurring disorders or diseases, that are found in patients with alcoholism. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study, carried out in the Department of Alcohology and Department of Clinical Addiction and Toxicology, at the Mother-Teresa Medical Centre in Tirana. In our study, we included 330 patients, who were followed from January 2012 till June 2013. The diagnoses of alcohol abuse were based on lab exams and anamnesis. Results In this study, we included patients who were hospitalized and treated at the Mother-Teresa Medical Centre in Tirana, between January 2012 and June 2013. Neuropathies are the most common disorder in these patients, reflected by 26.6% of the cases. Moreover, the most common disease observed in these patients is Alcoholic Hepatopathy (13,6% of the cases), followed by 12,4% with multi-substance abuse. Conclusion Our data show that various diseases such as mental disorders, hepatopathy and polyneuropathy are the nosologies that more often accompany alcoholism

Opioid agonist maintenance treatment outcomes : the OPTIMUS international consensus towards evidence-based and patient-centred care, an interim report

Abstract: Non-medical opioid use is a major public health concern causing high mortality. While opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OMT) is a key life-saving intervention, there is (a) no international consensus on opioid treatment outcomes and (b) few opioid treatment outcome studies include key (public) health outcomes, such as overdose or HIV/hepatitis C. We report the rationale and study protocol for, and preliminary results of, an on-going international OMT outcomes consensus study that aims to address this double gap (n= 110 collaborating experts from 32 countries, plus a n = 477 Delphi evaluation panel from 26 of those countries: 58% male, 41% female; 47% OMT patients, 53% OMT professionals). We present a first draft of a patient interview guide (including a \u2018clinical form\u2019) to monitor OMT outcomes in six domains. The form appears to be well accepted and feasible in early testing. Through this, we aim to enhance the quality of and access to OMT and improve the survival, health, and quality of life of people who use opioids, while promoting nonstigmatising patient-physician relationships