Hospital admissions for somatic care among young men: the role of alcohol.

The association between level of alcohol consumption and hospital admission for somatic care during a 15-year follow-up was studied in a cohort of 8226 Swedish conscripts. The relative risk for admission among high consumers of alcohol (more than 250 g alcohol per week) was 1.5 (95% confidence interval 1.2-1.8) compared with moderate consumers (1-100 g alcohol per week). After control for social background variables in a multivariate model the odds ratio was 1.2 (0.9-1.6). High consumers had a higher rate of recurring admissions; the number of admissions per capita increased from 1.8 among abstainers to 2.4 among high consumers. The association with alcohol was positive in all diagnostic categories studied. Earlier reports of a U-shaped curve for hospital admission was not confirmed; abstainers had the same rate of admission as moderate consumers.