CHRONIC ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSEQUENT MORTALITY IN WORLD WAR II VETERANS

Abstract

Mortality during 1946 through 1974 among 4401 US Army servicemen hospitalized for chronic alcoholism in 1944–1945 was compared with that of individually age-matched comparison subjects hospitalized for nasopharyngitis. The relative risk of death from all causes for the alcoholism vs. the nasopharyngitis admissions was 1.87 (p < 0.001). The relative risks were significantly high for the following causes of death: alcoholism (12.8), tuberculosis (10.2), alcoholic cirrhosis (3.5), trauma (3.1), non-malignant diseases of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (2.5), ill-defined causes of death (2.1), non-malignant respiratory diseases including pneumonia (1.7), and ischemlc heart disease (1.4). Significant excess risk was also noted for brain cancer and for diseases of the liver or gallbladder (other than cancer or cirrhosis), but relative risks could not be estimated because no deaths occurred in the nasopharyngitis group. In age-standardized contrasts of the alcoholism admissions to the corresponding individually matched comparison subjects, alcoholics returned to duty or separated from service for disability had greater excess mortality overall than alcoholics separated administratively as having undesirable character traits. The same was true for most diseases, all trauma, suicide and homicide, but not for motor vehicle accidents, other accidents, and unknown causes. The administrative separations appeared to be less medically Incapacitated at the Index hospitalization. The risk for all cancer combined was significantly related to alcoholism (1.6, p < 0.01) only among subjects discharged to duty or separated from service for disability.