J Korean Acad Fam Med.  2005 Mar;26(3):145-151.

Drinking Problems of Hepatitis B Virus Healthy Carriers in Korean Population

• Kim KS
• Park SH
• Cho DS
• Hong JC
• Kim JS
• Park BK
• Kim SS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Heavy drinking may be a cause of serious health problems in hepatitis B virus carriers. The aim of this study was to reveal the degree of drinking problems in the Korean hepatitis B virus healthy carriers.
METHODS
The subjects were 218 hepatitis B virus healthy carriers (124 males and 94 females) recruited from those who visited the Health Promotion Center of Chungnam National University Hospital for a general health check-up. Drinking problems of the subjects were evaluated by the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) questionnaire.
RESULTS
The AUDIT scores (mean+/-SD) of the male subjects (9.6+/-7.9) were significantly (P <0.001) higher than those of the female subjects (2.7+/-5.2). The individuals with heavy drinking (more than 14 drinks in males and 7 drinks in females per week) are 24 (19.4%) in males and 5 (5.3%) in females. Alcohol use disorders were suspected in 36 (29.0%) males and 4 (4.3%) females.
CONCLUSION
It is suggested that, in Korea, clinical attention in primary health care should be focused on reducing the alcohol consumption among the hepatitis B virus carriers, considering a large proportion have drinking problems and the possible harmful effect on their health by heavy drinking.

Keyword

hepatitis B virus carriers; drinking problem; heavy drinking; AUDIT

MeSH Terms

Alcohol Drinking
Chungcheongnam-do
Drinking*
Female
Health Promotion
Hepatitis B virus*
Hepatitis B*
Hepatitis*
Humans
Korea
Male
Primary Health Care
Surveys and Questionnaires