2025/11/28 by İbrahim Altundağ, Batuhan Gümüşay, Burcu Genç Yavuz +4 · 1 voice
Medicine · #Alcoholism and Thiamine Deficiency #Trauma and Emergency Care Studies #Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances
paper · doi:10.1111/acer.70214
openalex publication_date 2025/11/28 · openalex created_date 2025/11/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
BACKGROUND: Trauma causes 4.4 million deaths annually, comprising 8% of global mortality. In older individuals, the risk of severe traumatic injuries increases because of reduced physical reserves and comorbidities. Alcohol use may contribute to the occurrence of trauma and worsen patient outcomes; however, its exact role remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of alcohol exposure on trauma severity, injury patterns, and clinical outcomes in individuals aged ≥60 years. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients with trauma aged ≥60 years whose blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was measured in the emergency department between 2020 and 2024. Patients with BAC ≥10 mg/dL and <10 mg/dL were considered alcohol-positive (AP) and alcohol-negative (AN), respectively. The groups were compared for the cause of injury, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), New Injury Severity Score (NISS), hospitalization, surgical intervention, and mortality. RESULTS: In total, 267 patients (mean age 71.7 ± 7.8 years; 57.3% men) were included. Most injuries were caused by falls (75.7%). Head-neck injuries were more frequent in AP patients (p < 0.001), whereas AN patients had more injuries in the upper (p = 0.028) and lower (p = 0.007) extremities. The average AIS score, ISS, and NISS were similar between the groups. The frequencies of GCS scores ≤8 (p = 0.020) and severe head trauma (AIS ≥ 3) (p = 0.007) were significantly higher in the AP group. Alcohol positivity was associated with higher ICU admission rates (p = 0.034) and increased in-hospital mortality rates (p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol exposure did not affect the average ISS and NISS in patients aged ≥60 years, and alcohol positivity was not associated with a significant difference in the severe injury group (ISS ≥ 16 and NISS ≥ 16). However, severe head injury and GCS scores ≤8 were observed more frequently in the AP group. Alcohol exposure is associated with increased ICU admission and higher mortality rates.