Amount and duration of alcohol intake in patients with chronic liver disease: an Italian multicentre study. AISF Group for the Study of Alcohol and Liver Disease

We report the results of an Italian multicenter study aimed at measuring retrospectively the lifetime amount and duration of alcohol consumption in non-selected consecutive patients with chronic liver disease. We used a standardized, reproducible questionnaire for measuring the lifetime daily alcohol intake (globally and separately for wine, beer and spirits), total alcohol intake and duration of alcohol consumption in 1,258 patients recruited from 17 medical centers. Wine intake contributed to the total alcohol intake in a proportion ranging from 44% to 85% throughout the centers. Spirits and beer intake contributed in smaller proportions (15% to 56%; and 3% to 27%, respectively). Males showed higher alcohol intake: those from northern-central Italy showed significantly higher intake than their southern-insular counterparts; of these, younger patients also showed a higher alcohol intake, due to a higher beer and spirit intake. Older patients showed higher intakes in southern-insular Italy, whereas the opposite was found in northern-central Italy. In this area, a longer duration of alcohol consumption was found, reflecting an earlier start in the use of alcohol. In conclusion, we believe that measuring alcohol intake on a wide series of patients in a multicenter study is feasible. This should stimulate gastroenterologists to approach the relationship between alcohol and liver disease using standardized and epidemiologically correct methods, and form the basis for well-designed case-control studies on a large scale, aimed at clarifying the risk of both hepatic and extrahepatic diseases associated with alcohol intake