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© 1992 Oxford University Press

research-article

Alcohol and Acute Medical Admission of Elderly People

D. M. MANGION, J. S. PLATT and V. SYAM

Department of Medicine for the Elderly, Barnsley District General Hospital Gawber Road, Barnsley S20 2YP
Department of Medicine for the Elderly Northern General Hospital Herries Road, Sheffield S5 7AU

Address correspondence to Dr J. S. Platt, West Middlesex University Hospital, Isleworth, Middle sex TW7 6AF

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 <0.001) were alcohol-related.

Alcohol abusers were predominantly men (86%; p<0.001) and independently mobile (88%; p<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.

Received February 4, 1992;
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