Alcohol-related emergency department admissions in an elderly population

Abstract

Objective Alcohol abuse remains a major health concern. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of alcohol-related emergency department (ED) admissions in an elderly population. Methods Between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014, we retrospectively analyzed patient charts of patients admitted with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least 0.5 g/L to the EDs of all five hospitals in two distinct areas. We focused on the population ≥65 years, divided in three subgroups (65-74, 75-84 and ≥85, respectively) and compared them to the 55-64 year group. Results Of the 3918 included patients 645 (16.5%) were between 55 and 64, and 406 (10.4%) were ≥65 years (65-74: 267, 6.8%; 75-84: 128, 3.3%; ≥85: 11, 0.3%). The male-to-female ratio ranged between 2.1:1 and 2.7:1. BACs decreased with increasing age. In all age groups the majority of patients (71.0-77.8%) were transported by emergency medical services. The chief presenting complaint was trauma and its relative importance increased with age. Contextual factors consisted mostly of chronic abuse (43.1-57.8%). Most frequently patients could be discharged within 24 h, although hospital admission rates increased with age. Conclusion Our study shows that alcohol-related ED admissions in the elderly are common, but less frequent than in younger age groups. More (preferentially prospective) studies are needed to give more insight in the living environment, prescription medication, socioeconomic cost, etc. Nonetheless, it is clear that a national action plan should be developed to tackle the alcohol abuse problem in all age groups.

The Burden of Alcohol-Related Emergency Department Visits in a Hospital of a Large European City

“…Joseph et al showed that 30% of EMS calls had alcohol as a contributing factor [ 18 ]. Several studies covering alcohol-related ED visits described this variable, but a majority of patients were transported by paramedics, which is consistent with our findings [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Pirmohamed et al found that alcohol-related problems accounted for 12% of all ED attendances, 50% were aged 18–39 years, and acute alcohol intoxication was the commonest presenting complaint.…”

“…Gender distribution showed the number of males was more than triple that of females. This was an expected tendency, but in earlier studies the difference was smaller [ 18 , 21 ]. This can reflect higher popularity of alcohol consumption in males as well as double the prevalence of heavy episodic drinking in males and ninefold the prevalence of harmful alcohol use in males [ 23 , 24 ].…”