Alcohol withdrawal epidemiology and demographics

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2]; Kiran Singh, M.D. [3]

Epidemiology and Demographics

Prevalence

The prevalence of alcohol withdrawal is:

• Approximately 50,000 per 100,000 (50%) in highly functional middle class.
• > 80,000 per 100,000 (>80%) in hospitalized or homeless

• Alcohol abuse or dependence afflicts up to 15 million persons in the United States. It accounts for 100,000 deaths and an economic burden of over 100 billion dollars per year. The lifetime prevalence of alcohol abuse is approximately 14% and of alcohol dependence is 8%. Approximately 500,000 patients/year develop withdrawal that is severe enough to prompt pharmacologic management.

• Between 13% and 71% of persons admitted for alcohol detoxification have evidence of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

• Approximately 3% of chronic alcoholics develop withdrawal seizures. Five percent of patients with alcohol withdrawal develop delirium tremens (DTs), which is associated with a mortality of approximately 5%.