A new study indicates that people who have drinking problems or other alcohol abuse disorders are much more likely to die from hospital-acquired infections.  These people are also much more likely to require extensive hospitalization after an infection, and may rack up a bigger hospital bill than patients without any alcohol disorders.

The results of the study have been published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Economic Research.  According to the study, patients with alcohol use disorders including alcohol abuse, alcoholism or any other alcohol use patterns that cause harm, are at a high-risk for infections. 

Patients with alcohol disorders who contracted infections were up to 71% more likely to die from the infection.  These people were also required to stay in the hospital for a period of at least two days more than persons who did not suffer from alcohol disorders.  The hospital expenses of these patients were at least $500 more than those patients who did not suffer from alcohol use disorders.

Every year, approximately 1.7 million patients in the United States contract an infection in the hospital.  Arizona medical malpractice lawyers have encouraged proper handwashing and hand hygiene procedures in hospitals as a means to combat these infections.  Health care professionals, including doctors and nurses and others in direct contact with patients, must follow proper handwashing procedures before attending to each patient.  However, such practices may have limited efficacy in the case of patients with alcohol use disorders. 

In such cases, there may be the need for specific therapeutic interventions.  It's very important that patients with alcohol use disorders and their families make doctors aware of these issues.  Both patients, who are scheduled for hospital admissions as well as those who are admitted into the hospital for an emergency, must make doctors aware of such alcohol use disorders.