[Serious infections in alcoholics. 2. Etiology of bacteremia and meningitis in alcoholics discharged from hospitals in Funen 1981, 1984 and 1986].

In 1981, 1984 and 1986 relatively more episodes of bacteremia with Corynebacterium in one or two tubes out of twelve were found in alcoholics and these normally negligible episodes may be a iatrogenic marker of intubation and esophagoscopy in alcoholics. Definite bacteremic episodes with E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Proteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter, Streptococcus faecalis, haemolytic Streptococcus and Bacteroides were found in 0.79% of alcoholics and 0.37% of non-alcoholics (0.01 greater than p greater than 0.001). The frequency per 100,000 discharged patients with positive blood cultures irrespective of bacteriological diagnosis, and also alcoholic liver cirrhosis was 8.12 = about two thirds of the number of deaths from cirrhosis per year. In selected cases of severe infections in alcoholics, the frequency of cirrhosis or steatosis was 29/48 = 60%. Foci were more often demonstrated bacteriologically in patients without cirrhosis or steatosis (0.01 greater than p greater than 0.001). Bacteremia with Staphylococcus aureus was a complication of treatment 6-18 days from admission, whereas bacteremia with E. coli and Pneumococci was present on admission. Serious bacteremia in alcoholics was not found in patients over 70 years of age and the many geriatric alcoholics (4.7%) did not show a greater morbidity than the average geriatric patient. The mortality of bacteremic alcoholics was more than 45% over a 6-year period.