星空传媒

Skip to main content

Alcohol abuse sent nearly twice as many U.S. women to the hospital during pandemic, study finds

The number of women ages 40 to 64 seen at a hospital because of alcohol misuse nearly doubled during the pandemic, according to a new study.Dmytro Betsenko/Moment RF/Getty Images via CNN Newsource The number of women ages 40 to 64 seen at a hospital because of alcohol misuse nearly doubled during the pandemic, according to a new study.Dmytro Betsenko/Moment RF/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
Share

The number of women ages 40 to 64 seen at a hospital because of alcohol misuse nearly doubled during the pandemic, according to a new study.

During 10 months between April 2020 and September 2021, complications of alcohol-related disease rose by 33% to 56% among middle-aged women compared with pre-pandemic times, said first author Dr. Bryant Shuey, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

鈥淒rinking has increased in the last decade among women, particularly during the pandemic, in comparison to men,鈥 Shuey said. 鈥淭hat uptick in drinking is likely contributing to the really serious alcohol-related liver disease, mood disorders, alcohol withdrawal problems and heart and gastric concerns we found in our study.鈥

the rate of women ages 35 to 50 having five or more drinks in a row rose twice as fast as men over the last decade. That trend appeared to , with a 41% increase in heavy drinking days among women.

鈥淭he study was very well conducted,鈥 said addiction specialist Dr. Scott Hadland, associate professor of pediatrics at Mass General for Children and Harvard Medical School.

鈥淚 was surprised to see that the rates of alcohol-related complications that usually take years to build up suddenly increased so rapidly in the wake of Covid-19,鈥 said Hadland, who was not involved in the study.

Dangerous complications

The study, published Friday in the journal , analyzed claims from an insurance database of people ages 15 and older to determine the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to alcohol abuse during the pandemic.

Among the diagnoses, between 54% and 66% were due to complications from alcohol-related liver disease, such as cirrhosis. Alcohol withdrawal and alcohol-related mood disorders accounted for 29% to 39% of the visits.

鈥淲ithdrawal can be deadly. For people who drink large amounts daily, withdrawal can lead to something called alcohol withdrawal delirium, which can cause seizures and even cardiac arrest,鈥 Shuey said.

鈥淎s far as mood disorders, we know alcohol reduces inhibition and is a risk factor for suicide. And if someone has alcohol-related psychosis, or even a manic episode, those are really high-risk conditions that require urgent medical evaluation,鈥 he added.

A much smaller percentage of hospitalizations related to alcohol, 3% to 5%, were due to cardiomyopathy, or a disruption in heart rhythm, while 1% to 3% were due to gastric bleeding from alcohol misuse, according to the study.

While the study could not determine cause and effect, one explanation for the uptick could be that women already had a problem with alcohol before the pandemic, said Dr. Ibraheem Karaye, assistant professor of population health at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, via email. He was not involved in the new study.

鈥淭he pandemic then served as a tipping point, exacerbating their condition,鈥 said Karaye, who published a on mortality and drinking.

One reason for the deterioration could be the lack of access to health care during the pandemic, Shuey said.

鈥淲omen who were developing alcohol-related conditions prior to the pandemic may have lost contact with their outpatient provider, alcohol addiction treatment center or Alcoholics Anonymous support group, which then tipped them over and into trouble with their alcohol use,鈥 Shuey said.

Women are more susceptible to the ill effects of alcohol for a number of reasons, Hadland said. Their bodies have lower amounts of alcohol dehydrogenases, an enzyme needed to break down alcohol. In addition, women鈥檚 bodies have slightly more fat and less water than men鈥檚 bodies

鈥淏ecause alcohol is dissolved in water in the body, it becomes more highly concentrated in women,鈥 Hadland said. 鈥淎nd then there鈥檚 the size difference. Men are often a little bit taller and a little bit heavier, which means that the same amount of alcohol in the body is also more concentrated in women and may do more damage at lower doses.鈥

The risk for liver damage and cirrhosis due to alcohol misuse is higher for women than men, and heart disease can occur at lower levels of consumption and over fewer years of drinking than men, according to the

In addition, cognitive decline and shrinkage of the brain due to alcohol develop more quickly for women than for men, the CDC noted. Another key difference between the sexes: Drinking is also associated with breast cancer in women, even at low levels of consumption.

Have you crossed the line?

How do you know if your alcohol use has crossed to the dark side? One telltale sign is when drinking has negative consequences, Karaye said.

鈥淩ecognizing alcohol-related issues can involve observing changes in behaviour, such as increased consumption, mood swings or neglecting responsibilities,鈥 he said.

Another sign: You continue drinking despite the negative impact on your physical or mental health. And it doesn鈥檛 have to be calling in sick or working with a hangover 鈥 it can be as simple as having a hard time getting up in the morning or having more disagreements with coworkers and loved ones.

Here鈥檚 another red flag: You鈥檙e pouring big drinks without realizing it. Current call for no more than two standard drinks a day for men and one for women and anyone 65 and older.

But many people pour much more than a standard drink, which is 12 ounces of a regular beer, 4 ounces of regular wine or 1 陆 ounces of liquor.

鈥淚 recommend utilizing the provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,鈥 Karaye said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a reliable resource designed to help individuals assess their alcohol consumption.鈥

If you (or a loved one) are struggling with alcohol, don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out to your doctor, Hadland said.

鈥淭here are available medications, probably the most common and effective one that we use as a medication called naltrexone, and there are others that can offer some degree of help as well,鈥 he said.

Many behavioural support groups can assist, such as.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a  open at all times to provide referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups and community-based organizations: 800-662-HELP (4357) and 800-487-4889 (TTY option).

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has a tool called the  for adults. For teens, the institute recommends .

If you or someone you know is in crisis or struggling with addiction or mental health matters, the following resources may be available to you:

  • Hope for Wellness Helpline for Indigenous Peoples (English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut): 1-855-242-3310
  • : 1-866-585-0445
  • Drug Rehab Services: 1-877-254-3348
  • Families for Addiction Recovery: 1-855-377-6677
  • Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
  • Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline: 1-833-456-4566
  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: 1-800-463-2338
  • Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645
  • Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
  • If you need immediate assistance call 911 or go to the nearest hospital

CTVNews.ca 星空传媒

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn鈥檛 been seen since Wednesday morning.

B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.