Alcohol Use Disorder in People living with Chronic illness

Key things to know What the evidence shows
How common is it? Not established universal
Is it more common among people living with chronic illness? AUD strongly interacts with liver, GI, cardiovascular and neurological disease
Are people living with chronic illness at higher risk? Strong
How much higher is the risk? Disease-specific
How often can it be missed? Very High
Does it show up differently among people living with chronic illness? Strong Yes
How might it look different? Continued drinking despite medical consequences or medication interactions becomes particularly important
What commonly occurs alongside it? Medical illness; depression; anxiety
What can it be confused with? Alcohol-related disease vs unrelated illness
Common screening tool AUDIT
Separate screening tool for people living with chronic illness None universal
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