Prevalence of concomitant use of alcohol and sedative-hypnotic drugs in middle and older aged persons: a systematic review

Source: Annals of Pharmacotherapy
Area: Evidence > Medicines Management > References
Objective: To systematically review the prevalence of concomitant alcohol and sedative-hypnotic use among middle-aged and older persons.
Data Sources: A bibliographic search of English-language literature was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO (Jan 1990-Aug 2012).  The reference lists of all included articles were screened for additional relevant articles not identified by any of the bibliographic searches.
Study Selection and Data Extraction: Population-based studies in which the mean age of participants was 40 years or older were included.  For a study to be included in the review, alcohol use had to be reported in terms of the quantity or frequency consumed.  Data from the articles included were extracted using a standardised data extraction tool.
Data Synthesis: Five population-based studies conducted in North America, 10 in Europe and 1 in Australia were included in the review.  Up to 88% of men and 79% of women who used ...

Source: NeLM - Care of Older People - February 19, 2013 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: news