Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults in the United States, with traumatic brain injury being a particularly severe consequence. In 2021 alone, falls resulted in the deaths of 36,500 older adults nationwide and 3,805 in Florida.
Despite these alarming statistics, the role of alcohol use in fall-related injuries among older adults has not been thoroughly examined. However, a recent study by Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine, in collaboration with other researchers, has shed new light on this issue.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, is one of the first to explore the relationship between alcohol use and severe head trauma, specifically intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), in older adults who have suffered a fall.
The researchers used data from the Geriatric Head Trauma Short Term Outcomes Project (GREAT STOP), which included patients aged 65 and older who were treated at two level one trauma centers in Palm Beach County, Florida.
These centers see a high volume of emergency department visits annually, making them ideal for this kind of study.
The study involved 3,128 participants who had sustained blunt head trauma due to a fall and underwent an initial head CT scan. Among these individuals, 433 (13.5%) were diagnosed with ICH.
Notably, 561 participants (18.2%) reported alcohol consumption, with 6% indicating that they drank alcohol daily. The study found a significant association between alcohol use and the likelihood of suffering from ICH after a fall.
Dr. Richard Shih, the study’s corresponding author and a professor of emergency medicine at FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine, noted that occasional alcohol use was linked to double the odds of developing ICH compared to non-drinkers.
Daily alcohol users faced an even higher risk, with a 150% increase in the odds of ICH. This discovery highlights a strong dose‒response relationship between alcohol use and the severity of head injuries following a fall.
Interestingly, the study found that weekly and daily alcohol users tended to be younger, with a mean age of 78 years, while non-alcohol users were older, averaging 83 years of age.
The prevalence of ICH was significantly higher among alcohol users (22%) compared to non-users (12%). The absolute risk of ICH increased with the frequency of alcohol consumption, rising from an 8.5% increased risk in occasional drinkers to a 13.1% increased risk in daily drinkers.
The study’s findings suggest that alcohol use is an important, independent, and modifiable risk factor for falls in older adults. Dr. Shih explained that alcohol can increase the likelihood of falls by impairing balance, concentration, and awareness.
Additionally, as people age, their bodies metabolize alcohol less efficiently, and the effects of alcohol are amplified due to changes in body composition, such as a higher ratio of body fat to body water.
Current fall prevention guidelines, such as those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries (STEADI) initiative and the American Geriatrics Society’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prevention of Falls in Older Adults, do not address the impact of alcohol use on fall risk.
Dr. Shih suggests that these findings point to the need for incorporating alcohol use assessment and mitigation strategies into fall prevention efforts for older adults.
This study underscores the importance of recognizing alcohol use as a significant risk factor in the prevention of falls and related injuries among older adults.
By addressing this factor, healthcare providers and caregivers may better protect older individuals from the severe consequences of falls, including traumatic brain injuries.
If you care about alcoholism, please read studies that your age may decide whether alcohol is good or bad for you, and people over 40 need to prevent dangerous alcohol/drug interactions.
For more information about alcohol, please see recent studies about moderate alcohol drinking linked to high blood pressure, and results showing this drug combo shows promise for treating alcoholism.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open.
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