title: Alcohol and acute medical admission of elderly people.
abstract: In a prospective study of 539 consecutive elderly medical admissions (mean age 77.3 years; 275 men), 42 patients (7.8%; 36 men) were identified as alcohol abusers, 41 by an alcohol intake history and one by a positive response to the CAGE questionnaire; none was identified by laboratory screening (gamma glutamyltransferase and red cell mean corpuscular volume) alone. Thirteen admissions (2%) were alcohol-related. In alcohol abusers, 24% of admissions (n = 10; p less than 0.001) were alcohol-related. Alcohol abusers were predominantly men (86%; p less than 0.001) and independently mobile (88%; p less than 0.001), suggesting greater physical fitness. In these more active men (n = 167), the prevalence of alcohol abuse was 19.8% and 6% of admissions were alcohol-related. While the sensitivities of the CAGE questionnaire and laboratory screening were too low to be clinically useful, an alcohol intake history may allow for a significant opportunity in preventive medicine in this age group, particularly in the fitter men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine for the Elderly, Barnsley District General Hospital.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mangion
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Platt
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Syam
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*