Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on trajectories of patients with severe alcohol use disorder treated with disulfiram

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The manifestations and progression of alcohol use disorder (AUD) are influenced by a number of contextual factors, with the current coronavirus pandemic being a significant example. This pandemic has profoundly impacted nearly all aspects of human life and has, therefore, strongly influenced patients suffering from AUD. In some cases, the pandemic has led to a reduction in severity, while in others, it has had the opposite effect. In our own work we have been investigating the negative impact of the pandemic on 45 patients with AUD who were undergoing outpatient treatment, including supervised use of disulfiram (Antabuse), in a close-knit program. A linear trend analysis demonstrated significant alterations in the retention rate over a 3-year period, encompassing the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods. During the pandemic the number of treatment cancellations virtually increased. Following the pandemic, a tendency towards the normalization of patient numbers was observed. Our data indicate a high level of vulnerability among patients with severe AUD and highlight a need for the development of alternative, possibly telemedical, treatment methods.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number5713
Number of pages1
JournalScientific reports
Volume15
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 17 Feb 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC11832757
ORCID /0000-0002-9674-3874/work/178929548
ORCID /0000-0003-4163-9014/work/178930064
unpaywall 10.1038/s41598-025-90081-5
Scopus 85218957831

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Alcohol use disorder, Antabuse, Disulfiram, Environmental risk factor, Linear trend analysis, Pandemic