Chronic Alcoholism and Subsequent Mortality in World War II Veterans

Mortality during 1946-74 among 4401 US Army servicemen hospitalized for chronic alcoholism in 1944-45 was compared with that of individually age-matched comparison subjects hospitalized for nasopharyngitis. In age-standardized constrasts of the alcoholism admissions to the matched comparison subjects, alcoholics returned to duty or separated from service for disability had greater excess mortality overall & greater suicide mortality than alcoholics separated administratively. (34 refs.)