Severity of alcohol dependence and mortality after 20 years in an adult general population sample

OBJECTIVES: To estimate mortality on grounds of the severity of alcohol dependence which has been assessed by two approaches: the frequency of alcohol dependence symptoms (FADS) and the number of alcohol dependence criteria (NADC). METHODS: A random sample of adult community residents in northern Germany at age 18 to 64 had been interviewed in 1996. Among 4075 study participants at baseline, for 4028 vital status was ascertained 20 years later. The FADS was assessed by the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Scale among the 780 study participants who had one or more symptoms of alcohol dependence or abuse and vital status information. The NADC was estimated by the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview among 4028 study participants with vital status information. Cox proportional hazard models were used. RESULTS: The age‐adjusted hazard ratio for the FADS (value range: 0–79) was 1.02 (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.016–1.028), for the NADC (value range: 0–7) it was 1.25 (CI: 1.19–1.32). CONCLUSIONS: The FADS and NADC predicted time to death in a dose‐dependent manner in this adult general population sample.