Prevalence and neuropsychiatric comorbidities of alcohol use disorders in an elderly Korean population

Objectives We investigated the prevalence and comorbidities of problem drinking in community-dwelling elders living in Korea. Methods Structured face-to-face diagnostic interviews were administered to the 714 Korean elders randomly sampled from Seongnam, Korea. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores, the participants were categorized into one of six diagnostic groups: lifetime abstainer, ex-drinker, social drinking, at-risk drinking, alcohol abuse, and alcohol dependence. Results Prevalence rates of social drinking, at-risk drinking, alcohol abuse, and alcohol dependence were estimated to be 13.60%, 5.42%, 2.28%, and 2.92%, respectively. Problem drinking was associated with increased risks of smoking (OR=3.52), whereas social drinking was associated with decreased risks of stroke (OR=0.27) and depression (OR=0.49). Conclusions Problem drinking was common particularly in men and associated with smoking. Social drinking was associated with the lower risks of stroke and depression. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.