Self-reported alcohol consumption in the Irish community dwelling elderly

2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Greene ◽  
Irene Bruce ◽  
Conal Cunningham ◽  
Davis Coakley ◽  
Brian A Lawlor

AbstractObjectives: To examine the associations of self-reported alcohol consumption in a community based sample of elderly subjects.Methods: A total of 518 non-institutionalised community dwelling elderly identified from general practice registers were interviewed in their own homes using the Geriatric Mental State (GMS-AGECAT), the Mini-Mental State Examination and the sociodemographic questionnaire. Physical health was rated on a six-point scale. Self reported alcohol consumption was recorded in units per week. The group was then divided according to the presence or absence of excessive alcohol consumption (ie. consumption of over 14 units per week for females and 21 units per week for males). Results were analysed using multivariate regression analysis with excessive alcohol consumption as the dependent variable.Results: The mean age of the sample was 73 (range 65-95), 63% (n = 329) were female. Thirty-six per cent of the population were abstinent and 7% reported excessive alcohol consumption. Analysis of the data revealed no association between excessive alcohol consumption and diagnosis, age, cognitive function or poor physical health. Excess consumption was found to be significantly associated with gender (male) and widowed status (p < 0.001, p = 0.013 respectively).Conclusions: As alcohol misuse is commonly missed in the elderly identifying high risk groups is important for the development of intervention strategies. Our results suggest that elderly widowers may be more at risk than their peers of alcohol misuse.

Medicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Akihiko Shibamoto ◽  
Tadashi Namisaki ◽  
Junya Suzuki ◽  
Takahiro Kubo ◽  
Satoshi Iwai ◽  
...  

: Background: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (γ-GTP) to assess the single and combined benefits of these biological markers for the detection of chronic excessive alcohol consumption in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Methods: Biological markers were determined in blood samples from patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (drinking group, n = 35; nondrinking group, n = 81). The prediction accuracy of %CDT alone, γ-GTP alone, and their combination for the detection of excessive alcohol consumption was determined in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Results: Serum total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-GTP, and alkaline phosphatase levels and %CDT were significantly higher and serum albumin levels were significantly lower in the drinking group than in the nondrinking group. The combination of %CDT and γ-GTP compared with %CDT or γ-GTP alone showed a higher prediction accuracy. The combination of %CDT and γ-GTP exhibited a higher specificity than γ-GTP alone. However, in terms of sensitivity, no significant difference was found between single or combined markers. Conclusions: The combination of %CDT and γ-GTP is considered a useful biomarker of chronic excessive alcohol consumption in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.


Author(s):  
Beata Gavurova ◽  
Miriama Tarhanicova

Background: Alcohol is a risk factor with serious consequences for society and individuals. This study aims to present methods and approaches that might be used to estimate the costs related to excessive alcohol consumption. It emphasizes the need for general methods and approaches that are easily applicable, because the level of digitalization and data availability vary across regions. The lack of data makes many methods inapplicable and useless. The ease of applicability will help to make cost-of-illness studies and their results comparable globally. Methods: This study is based on data from the Czech Republic in 2017. Drinking alcohol results in costs of healthcare, social care, law enforcement, and administrative costs of public authorities. To quantify the cost of drinking in the Czech Republic, the top-down approach, bottom-up approach, human capital approach and attributable fractions were used. Results: In 2017, the cost related to alcohol was estimated at 0.66% of the national GDP. Lost productivity represented 54.45% of total cost related to alcohol. All cost related to alcohol is considered to be avoidable. Conclusions: The methods and approaches applied to estimate the cost of disease or any other health issue should be generalized regarding the availability of data and specifics of provided services to people who are addicted or have any kind of disability.


2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 643-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
SWATI SHOURIE ◽  
KATHERINE M. CONIGRAVE ◽  
ELIZABETH M. PROUDE ◽  
JEANETTE E. WARD ◽  
SONIA E. WUTZKE ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphanie Faure ◽  
Astrid Herrero ◽  
Boris Jung ◽  
Yohan Duny ◽  
Jean-Pierre Daures ◽  
...  

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siyul Byeon ◽  
Jisun Oh ◽  
Ji Lim ◽  
Jeong Lee ◽  
Jong-Sang Kim

Gastric ulcer is a major digestive disorder and provoked by multifactorial etiologies, including excessive alcohol consumption. In this study, we examined the gastroprotective effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Dioscorea batatas Decne (DBD; commonly called Chinese yam) flesh or peel against acidified ethanol-induced acute gastric damage in mice. Our findings demonstrated that oral supplementation of aqueous or ethanolic extracts of DBD flesh or peel before ulcer induction was significantly effective in macroscopically and histologically alleviating ethanol-induced pathological lesions in gastric mucosa, decreasing the plasma levels of inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide and interleukin-6, attenuating the gastric expression of cyclooxygenase-2, and increasing the gastric content of prostaglandin E2. In particular, pretreatment with the flesh extract prepared in 60% ethanol prominently decreased the expression of biomarkers of oxidative stress, including the plasma levels of 8-hydroxy-2-guanosine and malondialdehyde, and restored heme oxygenase-1 expression and superoxide dismutase activity in the stomach. Overall, these findings suggest that the oral supplementation with DBD extract, especially flesh ethanol extract, prior to excessive alcohol consumption, may exert a protective effect against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in vivo, presumably through the activation of the antioxidant system and suppression of the inflammatory response.


2008 ◽  
Vol 207 (3) ◽  
pp. S94-S95
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Gallagher ◽  
Emily Boyle ◽  
Paul Toner ◽  
Neal E. Seymour ◽  
Dana K. Andersen ◽  
...  

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