Complicated Alcohol Withdrawal—An Unintended Consequence of COVID-19 Lockdown
In: Alcohol and alcoholism: the international journal of the Medical Council on Alcoholism (MCA) and the journal of the European Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ESBRA), Band 55, Heft 4, S. 350-353
ISSN: 1464-3502
Abstract
Aim
To assess the impact of COVID-19-related lockdown in India on alcohol-dependent persons.
Method
We examined the change in the incidence of severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome presenting to hospitals in the city of Bangalore.
Results
A changepoint analysis of the time series data (between 01.01.20 to 11.04.20) showed an increase in the average number of cases from 4 to 8 per day (likelihood ratio test: χ2 = 72, df = 2, P < 0.001).
Conclusion
An unintended consequence of the lockdown was serious illness in some patients with alcohol use disorders.