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Alcohol use by people in their seventies is not an exception: a preliminary prospective study

02 March 2019
Professional
02 March 2019
Volume 24 · Issue 3

Abstract

The ageing population is rapidly increasing worldwide, and the alcohol-related disease burden in most Western countries is on the rise. However, very few studies assess alcohol use in older people. Here, a self-reported questionnaire was administered to all individuals aged 70 years or more who visited a social centre for older people in western France.

The average age of the 98 subjects included in the survey was 79 years (range, 70–97 years; SD=6), and 57.1% (n=56) reported weekly alcohol consumption. An average consumption of over two standard units each day during weekends was reported by 53% subjects (n=52), and the same on each weekday was reported by 34% (n=33). Thus, a significant proportion of subjects aged 70 years or over consumed more alcohol than is recommended in current guidelines. The participants also reported that they rarely discussed alcohol consumption with their general practitioners. Alcohol use should be assessed regularly. District nurses and members of the primary care team should recommend strategies to help older people reduce their alcohol consumption.

The ageing population is rapidly increasing worldwide. A United Nations report (2015) estimated that the population of individuals aged 60 years or older would increase from 901 million people in 2015 to 2.1 billion by 2050, and could increase to 3.2 billion by 2100. This has important implications for the planning and delivery of health and social care (Clegg et al, 2013; Sacco et al, 2015). Ageing is a complex process that is considered to be the result of lifelong accumulation of molecular and cellular damage caused by multiple mechanisms. It is regulated by an intricate maintenance and repair network and influenced by genetic, environmental and epigenetic factors. Frailty is a consequence of a cumulative decline in multiple physiological systems that results in vulnerability to sudden health status changes triggered by relatively minor stressors (Clegg et al, 2013). Alcohol use, abuse or alcohol-use disorder (AUD) is one such environmental factor that may trigger or precipitate events that lead to acute decompensation (Kuerbis et al, 2014; Rao et al, 2015).

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Alcohol use disorder
Primary care
Addictive disorders
Older adults
Screening