A Descriptive Study of Elderly Community-Dwelling Alcoholic Patients in the Rural South
Holroyd S~~Currie L~~et al
Alcohol-related disorders, estimated to be more prevalent in the southern USA, are associated with serious comorbid disorders, such as depression & suicide. In a rural outreach program, patients with a diagnosis of alcoholism were examined & compared with nonalcoholic patients on various demographic & descriptive variables. Of 166 patients referred to the program, 35 had an alcohol-related disorder. Alcoholism was significantly associated with male gender & young age, but nearly half of the alcoholic subjects were women. Alcoholism was associated with inappropriate health-care utilization. Alcohol-related disorders produced significantly more emergency room visits & somewhat more hospital admissions. These patients were less likely to have a primary care physician. None of the patients were receiving treatment for alcoholism. (35 refs.)