Retrospective Analysis of Patients in the Aspect of the Prevalence of Alcohol Abuse Among Patients with Stroke Treated in the Department of Neurology

Introduction. Alcohol is a drug that is harmful to many organs, especially the brain, and may contribute to worse recovery in stroke patients treated in a neurological ward. There are few works in the literature dealing with alcoholrelated problems in patients with stroke. Aim. Assessment of the prevalence of alcohol abuse in stroke and its impact on the diagnostic and therapeutic process in groups of patients diagnosed with harmful alcohol consumption or alcohol dependence syndrome. Material and Methods. The material consisted of 2770 medical records of patients hospitalized in the Department of Neurology with the Stroke Treatment Sub-Department at the Specialist Hospital of Stanisław Staszic in Piła from January 1 to December 31, 2015, which were analysed in terms of alcohol abuse by patients. Patients with stroke (40 people) were analysed in detail. The results of laboratory tests, risk factors, gender and age of the patients were analysed. The following methods of scientific research were used in the study: analysis of medical records, statistical analysis of quantitative and qualitative data with the use of STATISTICA v. 13.3 computer program by StatSoft. Results. There were 40 patients with ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke who abused alcohol in total (29.85%). Among patients with stroke, 70% presented harmful drinking, 30% — alcohol dependence syndrome. More than two risk factors for stroke were reported more frequently in the group of patients with stroke who abused alcohol than in those with stroke but did not abuse alcohol (38.8% vs. 30.0%; p = 0.0561). In laboratory studies, stroke patients who abused alcohol compared to non-drinkers had a statistically significantly higher red blood cell (MCV) volume, higher levels of the liver enzymes ASPAT and ALAT; p < 0.05. Conclusions. The lack of real information on the amount of alcohol consumed by a patient can make the diagnostic and therapeutic process very difficult, and thus delay the full diagnosis and implementation of the appropriate therapy. The study should be extended to include a prospective assessment. In order to increase the detection of alcohol abuse in patients, an objective interview, psychological assessment focused on the problem would be necessary, and the use of questionnaires with short, simple but precise questions that would allow to quantify the alcohol problem in a patient. (JNNN 2020;9(4):145–151) Key Words: alcohol abuse, risk factors, stroke