see [Rosen Alcohol-related disease](x-devonthink-item://B2500D77-28F4-4FF9-89AE-A7B4F2306864?page=0) and [Rosen Alcohol use disorder and cirrhosis](x-devonthink-item://E22703E4-4E89-4FE0-87D8-E2B69F7264E3?page=10)
see also: [[Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome|AWS]]
- predisposes to infection through immune suppression
- complement deficency 2/2 liver disease (primary site of C3 synthesis)
- impaired neutrophil recruitment
**common infections in pts with cirrhosis**
- e coli
- klebsela pnemonia
- salmonella
- strep
- vibrio vulnificus
- aeromonas
- spontaneous bacterial beritonitis
- c dif
## diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder
in the past year:
- drinking more, longer than intended
- more than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried, but couldn't
- spent a lot of time drinking; tired of hangovers
- wanting to drink so much cannot think of anything else
- drinking or recovering from drinking often interferes with family, work, or education
- continuing to drink in spite of problems caused with friends or family
- finding oneself in dangerous or harmful situations as a direct result of drinking
- continuing to drink in spite of adding to another health problem, feeling depressed, anxious, or blacking out
- drinking more as a result of tolerance to EtOH
- experiencing [[Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome|alcohol withdrawal]] symptoms
mild - 2-3 features
mod - 4-5 features
severe - ≥ 6 features
### medications used in alcohol use disorder
- benzodiazepines -- for AWS
- [[Thiamine]] - prevent wernicke
- *naltrexone* -- opioid antagonist. modifies hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to suppress ethanol consumption
- *acamprosate* -- NMDA antagonist and modulator of GABA receptors; causing anti-craving effect
- *disulfiram* -- inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase ; results in ↑ serum acetaldehyde, causing diaphoresis, palpitations, facial flushing, nausea, vertigo, and tachycardia. deterrent to drinking EtOH
# ED SBIRT intervention - CAGE
**SBIRT** – Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment
> ***CAGE***
> *C*ut down
> *A*nnoyed
> *G*uilty
> *E*ye opener
C: Have you ever felt the need to cut down on your drinking?
A: Have people been annoyed by your drinking?
G: Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking?
E: Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?