Alcohol-related health complications skyrocketed among middle-aged women during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study that calls for more attention to risk factors for alcohol use disorder in this subpopulation of the United States.
From April 2020 to September 2021, overall hospital visits for alcohol-related illnesses surged more than researchers expected, according to a study published in the journal Science on Friday. JAMA Health Forum. However, women aged 40 to 64 years had the largest monthly increases across all conditions. Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) in particular.
Dr. Bryant ShueyAssistant Professor. Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was the study’s lead author. He is also an internist who treats patients with: Alcohol use disorder (AUD)I will tell you. luck He and his team set out to understand the barriers to caring for such patients.
“This study builds on the understanding that alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm have increased over the past few decades, and access to effective treatments has not been fully realized,” Shuey said. To tell. “We were particularly interested in understanding whether there was an association not only with increased alcohol use during the pandemic, but also with alcohol-related harms that could be identified at the emergency department and hospital level. .”
use Optum’s Clinformatics Data Mart DatabaseResearchers analyzed insurance claims data for more than 14.6 million people aged 15 and older from March 2017 to September 2021. Nearly 30 diagnoses were included, ranging from alcohol abuse with induced psychotic disorder to alcohol dependence with withdrawal delirium. Since April 2020, patients in the emergency department, inpatient wards, and observation wards are diagnosed in the following categories:
- ALD: 57-66%
- Alcohol withdrawal or alcohol-related mood disorders: 29-37%
- Alcohol-related cardiomyopathy: 3-4%
- Alcohol-related gastritis with bleeding: 1-2%
In the study population as a whole, the proportion with such symptoms increased almost every month after the onset of the pandemic, but the increase was statistically significant for only 4 months and ranged from 8% to 19%. did. In patients aged 40-64 years, over a period of 9 months he saw a statistically significant increase of 17-36%. Women in this age group showed the most significant increase, with all symptoms she was 33-56% at 10 months and for ALD she was 34-95% at 16 months.
“Alcohol-related liver disease is a very serious condition. It occurs after years, often more than a decade, of persistent and excessive alcohol consumption,” Shuey explains. “However, if alcohol consumption increases rapidly, symptoms may return, worsen acutely, or worsen over weeks or months.”
Why are alcohol-related harms increasing among women?
The surge in alcohol consumption during the pandemic may have worsened ALD in women who already had it, Shuey said. It is quite possible that his findings also reflect newly diagnosed cases. In any case, he acknowledges that his latest research may underestimate the number of women with alcohol-related health conditions.
First, the stigma surrounding the Australian dollar may have prevented some patients from disclosing their drinking habits to hospital staff. Alternatively, the patient may have been billed under another code not included in the study. Additionally, this database includes people who have had continuous commercial health insurance or Medicare Advantage coverage for at least six months and excludes people who are uninsured or underinsured. I am.
“We hope this study can further raise the alarm and provide further public health messages that the gender gap in alcohol-related harms is closing,” Shuey said.
In the two decades before the pandemic, women were already dying from alcohol-related complications at higher rates than men. According to previous research. According to the report, from 2016 to 2021, the number of deaths due to excessive drinking increased by 27% for men and 35% for women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But what is the root cause?
“Some people have theorized that this may have something to do with the normalization of alcohol use in general and marketing aimed at women with things like wine clubs, seltzers, and fun-flavored drinks.” Shuey says. luck. “It is also important to recognize that women are under disproportionate stress because they work full-time and carry a disproportionate share of their family responsibilities.”
Even that is speculation, Shuey says: “We have no idea what’s causing it.”
The team’s next step will be to examine the impact of the pandemic on access to AUD treatment: medication and behavioral therapy. According to the report, in 2022, less than 10% of adults with the disorder received any treatment in the past year. National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
If you or a loved one is struggling with alcoholism, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Alcohol Treatment Navigator can connect you with self-guided programs, telehealth treatments, mutual support groups, and trained health professionals to help. Need immediate assistance? 988 Lifeline for suicide and crisis.
Learn more about how alcohol affects your health below.
