Prevalence and neuropsychiatric comorbidities of alcohol use disorders in an elderly Korean population

✍ Scribed by Ki Woong Kim; Eun Ae Choi; Seok Bum Lee; Joon Hyuk Park; Jung Jae Lee; Yoonseok Huh; Jong Choul Youn; Jin Hyeong Jhoo; Il Han Choo; Myoung-Hee Kim; Dong Young Lee; Jong Inn Woo

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 93 KB
• Volume: 24
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.2280

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Objectives

We investigated the prevalence and comorbidities of problem drinking in community‐dwelling elders living in Korea.

Methods

Structured face‐to‐face diagnostic interviews were administered to the 714 Korean elders randomly sampled from Seongnam, Korea. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM‐IV) criteria and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores, the participants were categorized into one of six diagnostic groups: lifetime abstainer, ex‐drinker, social drinking, at‐risk drinking, alcohol abuse, and alcohol dependence.

Results

Prevalence rates of social drinking, at‐risk drinking, alcohol abuse, and alcohol dependence were estimated to be 13.60%, 5.42%, 2.28%, and 2.92%, respectively. Problem drinking was associated with increased risks of smoking (OR = 3.52), whereas social drinking was associated with decreased risks of stroke (OR = 0.27) and depression (OR = 0.49).

Conclusions

Problem drinking was common particularly in men and associated with smoking. Social drinking was associated with the lower risks of stroke and depression. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.