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A study looking at patients over age 65 with head injuries from falls assessed the association of alcohol use with severity of injury. The alcohol use was self-reported which does limit the findings. The study found “Of 3128 study participants, 18.2% (n = 567) reported alcohol use: 10.3% with occasional use, 1.9% with weekly use, and 6.0% with daily use.” Those daily drinkers had a higher incidence of intercranial injuries.
The authors concluded: “Alcohol use in older adult emergency department patients with head trauma is relatively common. Self-reported alcohol use appears to be associated with a higher risk of ICH in a dose-dependent fashion. Fall prevention strategies may need to consider alcohol mitigation as a modifiable risk factor.”
References
Zirulnik A, Liu S, Wells M, et al. Alcohol use is associated with intracranial hemorrhage in older emergency department head trauma patients. JACEP Open. 2024; 5:e13245. https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.13245