Alcohol-related emergency department admissions among adolescents in the Ghent and Sint-Niklaas areas

Abstract

Alcohol abuse is a major health concern. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse the alcohol-related emergency department (ED) admissions among adolescents in all hospitals of distinct areas during a 1-year period. In each hospital, all ED patients with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least 0.5 g/l were surveyed in a standardised way. Of the 3918 included patients, only 146 (3.7%) were < 18 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1. There was a strong preponderance of weekend and night time admissions. Most of the patients were transported by ambulance (77% of 138 patients with information on this item). The main reason for ED admittance was depressed level of consciousness (64%), trauma (12%), vomiting and/or abdominal pain (12%), agitation or aggression (4%), syncope (4%) and psychological problems (4%). The context of the alcohol intoxication was related to some kind of festivity in 85%, mental problems in 14% and chronic abuse in 1%. Median BAC values (and range) were 2.08 g/l (0.73-3.70 g/l) for boys and 1.51 g/l (0.73-2.90 g/l) for girls. Most patients (87%) could be discharged home within 24 hours. Our study confirms that problematic alcohol use leading to ED admissions starts in adolescence. Although the numbers of cases below 18 years are low when compared to adults, the phenomenon is alarming as it is associated with substantial health problems. Therefore, Belgium urgently needs a global national alcohol plan, with youngsters being one of the target groups.

The Burden of Alcohol-Related Emergency Department Visits in a Hospital of a Large European City

“…Joseph et al showed that 30% of EMS calls had alcohol as a contributing factor [ 18 ]. Several studies covering alcohol-related ED visits described this variable, but a majority of patients were transported by paramedics, which is consistent with our findings [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Pirmohamed et al found that alcohol-related problems accounted for 12% of all ED attendances, 50% were aged 18–39 years, and acute alcohol intoxication was the commonest presenting complaint.…”

Pediatric Acute Alcohol Intoxication Admitted to the ICU: A Review of 102 Cases in France

“…The electrolyte and glucose disturbances were mild. There was a strong male prevalence, in keeping with other studies (5–13), but BAC did not correlate with gender. Aspiration pneumonia was suspected in nine patients, all of whom had a favorable outcome.…”

“…Hypoglycemia is a rare but potentially severe complication of AAI (12–14). In our study, however, hyperglycemia affected more than half of our patients, whereas hypoglycemia was rare.…”

“…Electrolyte disturbance is a well-known occurrence in AAI and has already been described as a source of potentially severe complications (12)(13)(14)(15). Hypokalemia is relatively common in children hospitalized with AAI.…”

“…In children, these complications include respiratory depression, coma, aspiration pneumonia, and death (9,10). Other acute complications consist of hepatitis, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, lactic acidosis, hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia (11)(12)(13)(14)(15). Compared with adults, children are at higher risk of hypoglycemia and hypothermia (11).…”