Common medicines accompanied by alcohol consumption may increase risk of falls in Elderly

Dublin, Ireland: Intake of many common medicines accompanied by alcohol consumption can lead to increased risk of falls and injuries among older adults, a recent study published in the Age and Ageing journal has found.

According to the study, management and assessment strategies for the prevention of falls in older adults should consider alcohol consumption with the assessment of patient medications, particularly those who are taking CNS agents. "Mixed with alcohol, many of these medicines might cause falls because of drowsiness or sharp dips in blood pressure or blood sugar, the study team theorized," explained the authors.

According to a report by WHO, The number of persons above the age of 60 years is fast-growing, especially in India. The major area of concern is the health of the elderly with multiple medical and psychological problems. Falls are one of the major problems in the
elderly and are considered one of the “Geriatric Giants”. Recurrent falls are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly and are a marker of poor physical and cognitive status.

The study by Grainne Cousins, a researcher at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, and colleagues investigated potentially serious alcohol–medication interactions (POSAMINO criteria) as a risk factor for falls in older adults.

For the purpose, the researchers surveyed 1,457 adults aged 65 and older about their use of these medicines and about their drinking habits, then assessed how many people had falls over the next two to four years.

Key findings include:

• The number of participants who reported falling since their baseline interview at 2 and 4 years were 357 (24%) and 608 (41.8%), respectively; 145 (10%) reported an injurious fall at 2 years and 268 (18%) at 4 years.


• Median (IQR) number of falls was 1 (1–2) at 2 years and 2 (1–3) at 4 years.


• Exposure to CNS POSAMINO criteria, hypothesised to increase the risk of falls due primarily to increased sedation, was associated with a significantly increased risk for falling (adjusted relative risk (RR) 1.50) and for injurious falls (adjusted RR 1.62) at 4 years.


• These equate to an absolute risk of 19% for falling and 8% for injurious falls at 4 years.

"The results suggest that older adults should discuss their drinking habits with their doctors to minimize the potential for falls to happen as a result of mixing prescriptions with alcohol," concluded the authors.

More Information: "Potentially serious alcohol–medication interactions and falls in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective cohort study" published in the journal Age and Ageing.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afz112

Journal Information: Age and Ageing