BERLIN (UPI) -- A German study suggests people considering surgery should control their drinking habits and be honest with their doctors about their drinking. The study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, determined that in mice chronic consumption of alcohol -- the equivalent of prolonged moderate drinking -- can result in a severe form of pneumonia following surgery. Claudia Spies of the University Hospital Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin says about 20 percent of adults admitted to a hospital drinks three beers or two glasses of wine on a daily basis for a prolonged period. "These patients can exhibit a higher rate of pneumonia after surgery, a higher rate of cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease, a higher rate of confusion post surgery and significant increased bleeding complications," Spies said in a statement. The researchers gave 32 female mice either alcohol or saline for eight days and then all mice underwent abdominal surgery. After 10 days, the mice were nasally exposed to either K. pneumoniae or saline. The researchers found worse clinical outcomes among the alcohol-exposed mice than the saline-exposed mice.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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