Alcoholism in a geriatric outpatient clinic of São Paulo-Brazil

Alcohol abuse and dependence are an increasing health problem among the elderly, but there is only scanty information about their prevalence and associated risk factors in developing countries. The authors set out to evaluate the prevalence and associated clinical/demographic features of alcoholism in a sample of male elderly subjects attending a Geriatric Primary Health Outpatient Clinic in a State University Hospital in the City of São Paulo-Brazil. Three hundred four patients were assessed with the Brazilian version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test and a semistructured questionnaire designed to investigate associated features. Lifetime alcoholism was present in 15.1% of the sample, although only 4.3% were active drinkers. Patients classified as "cases" were younger than their nonalcoholic counterparts (70.61 vs. 73.31), and there was a mild, though not significant, excess of Blacks and Mulattos among the former (32.6% vs. 15.9%). Cases were also more likely to rely on their family for financial support (59.0% vs. 43.5%) and to acknowledge a positive family history of alcoholism (51.4% vs. 31.2%). Alcohol abuse or dependence was further associated with heavy smoking (58.7% vs. 44.0%). The authors concluded that alcoholism in this Brazilian elderly sample was likely to be associated with an earlier age at onset of medical problems, financial dependence, Black/Mulatto race, smoking, and positive family history of alcohol abuse/dependence. The authors suggest that the use of standardized methods of assessment of alcoholism in general medical settings may increase the detection of cases and contribute to improved health measures for the management of these patients.