LAUSR

BACKGROUND Although individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) have a significantly shorter lifespan than the general population, there is sparse evidence on cause of death when alcohol dependent people die prematurely. Especially the somatic causes of death are shed less light on. AIM To determine the cause of premature death in individuals with AUD based on recent studies. METHODS This systematic review summarizes evidence from the last 10 years with cohort studies consisting of AUD patients with the subsequent outcome of cause of death and with at least two years of follow-up. RESULTS Nine studies were included of which only two were assessed to be of good quality. Furthermore, two studies were of moderately good and acceptable quality, respectively. This review found increased mortality in AUD individuals with the main causes of death being malignancy, and problems of the cardiovascular- and the digestive system. CONCLUSION Malignancy was the most common cause of death in the included AUD cohorts, but the overall quality of the included studies in this review is low. There is a need for high-quality studies to better understand cause-specific mortality among AUD individuals.