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Alcohol Dependence Among Elderly French Inpatients

Received December 1, 2001; revised February 5, September 4, 2002; accepted September 27, 2002. From the Department of Psychiatry, Louis Mourier Hospital, AP-HP, 92700, Colombes France. Address correspondence to Dr. Lejoyeux, Department of Psychiatry, Hôpital Louis Mourier, 92700, Colombes, France. e-mail: michel.lejoyeux{at}lmr.ap-hop-paris.fr

Objective/Methods: The authors compared groups of heavier and lighter drinkers in a geriatric hospital inpatient unit in France, using questionnaire measures of alcohol dependence, sociodemographic characteristics, and cognitive status. Results: Alcohol consumption is more frequent in men than in women; 9% of the geriatric patients (3% of women and 18% of men) show symptoms of alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence is also associated with benzodiazepine treatment and nicotine dependence. Conclusion: Elderly male patients hospitalized in the geriatric unit and receiving benzodiazepines should thus be identified as a population at risk for alcohol dependence, and medical practitioners should be alert to the possibility of overprescribing benzodiazepines past the acute withdrawal stage.

Key Words: Inpatients • Alcoholism • Cross-Cultural Studies