Remission from Alcohol Use Disorder among Males in the Lundby Cohort during 1947-1997.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorders are a major health problem, often with a chronic course. Studies on remission from alcohol use disorders are sparse. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the rate of remission from AUD and the possible influence of other mental disorders and sociodemographic factors on the remission in the Lundby Cohort. METHOD: Remission from AUD was studied for 312 male subjects in the Lundby Cohort, which was followed for 50 years. Cox regression analyses were used to study the possible influence of sociodemographic variables and other mental disorders on AUD remission. RESULTS: In all, 64/312 (21%) subjects achieved remission during the study period. The presence of a severe mental disorder, such as delirium tremens and organic disorders, was related to remission. Blue-collar workers had higher rates of remission than white-collar workers. There was indication that treatment improved the prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The overall remission rate was low, but treatment may improve the prognosis. Severe mental disorders, such as delirium tremens and organic disorders as well as being blue-collar rather than white-collar worker, were related to remission.

Incidence of alcoholism in the revisited Lundby population, 1947-1997.

OBJECTIVE: The Lundby Study is a prospective longitudinal study of an unselected population consisting of 3,563 subjects. The Lundby Study started in 1947, and follow-ups were carried out in 1957, 1972, and in 1997. METHOD: In all four surveys, semistructured interviews were performed by psychiatrists. Registers, key informants, and case notes from hospitals and outpatient clinics supplemented the interview data. Best-estimate consensus diagnoses of mental disorders were applied after gathering all available data. In the present study, age- and sex-specific incidences of any alcoholism (alcohol problems and alcohol dependence) were studied for the entire 50-year period. Alcohol dependence was studied for the periods 1947-1972 and 1972-1997. Incidences and cumulative probabilities by age were calculated and compared. Age-standardized incidence rates were also calculated for five 10-year periods for subjects 40 years of age and older. RESULTS: Incidence rates of alcohol-use disorders show large differences across the life span. The cumulative probability for any alcoholism over the 50-year period was 24.4% for men and 4.0% for women. The incidence of any alcoholism was similar for men in both periods, whereas for women it increased in the period 1972-1997; however, this increase was not significantly on the 5% level. CONCLUSIONS: At least one in four men was found to be at risk of developing alcohol problems or becoming dependent on alcohol during his lifetime in the present study, which is in accordance with other studies. The gender differences in alcohol-use disorders in Sweden may have decreased in later decades.

[Alcoholism-a study by Carl von Linnes in "Nemesis Divina"]. / Dryckenskap straffar sig. Några levnadsöden från Lundbyprojektet studerade i ljuset av Carl von Linnés Nemesis Divina.

Linnaeus' (1707- 1778) anecdotes in Nemesis Divina and stories from the Lundby Study were taken as a starting point for this essay an about the fate of heavy ("gluttonous") drinkers. The narratives are real enough, even if their meanings are interpreted as highly metaphorical. It is argued that through Linnaeus thinking on diet, alcohol, excessive appetites and God's revenge, today's secular awareness of risk behavior and unhealthy life styles may be expanded. Hence, new insights can grow from different perspectives on complicated problems.