Alcohol Intoxication Among Dutch Adolescents: Acute Medical Complications in the Years 2000-2010

Objective: To investigate acute medical complications of alcohol intoxication among adolescents presenting to Reinier de Graaf Hospital, a major nonacademic hospital in Delft, the Netherlands. Methods: The frequency of reduced consciousness, hypothermia, electrolyte disturbances, hypoglycemia, and a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Clinical pediatrics Vol. 50; no. 3; pp. 244 - 251
Main Authors:	Bouthoorn, Selma H., van der Ploeg, Tjeerd, van Erkel, Nina E., van der Lely, Nico
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-03-2011 Westminster Publications, Inc
Subjects:	Acidosis Acidosis - epidemiology Acidosis - etiology Acidosis, Respiratory - epidemiology Acidosis, Respiratory - etiology Acute Disease Adolescent Adolescents Alcohol Alcohol use Alcoholic Intoxication - blood Alcoholic Intoxication - complications Alcoholic Intoxication - epidemiology Alcohols Bicarbonates Blood levels Carbonates Child Complications Consciousness Consciousness Disorders - epidemiology Consciousness Disorders - etiology Drunkenness Electrolytes Ethanol Ethanol - blood Female Humans Hyperchloremia Hypernatremia Hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia - epidemiology Hypoglycemia - etiology Hypokalemia Hypothermia Hypothermia - epidemiology Hypothermia - etiology Intoxication Male Medical records Metabolism Netherlands Patient Admission - statistics & numerical data Prevalence Teenagers Temperature effects Water-Electrolyte Imbalance - epidemiology Water-Electrolyte Imbalance - etiology Netherlands adolescent electrolyte disturbances alcohol intoxication reduced consciousness hypothermia hypoglycemia
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Summary:	Objective: To investigate acute medical complications of alcohol intoxication among adolescents presenting to Reinier de Graaf Hospital, a major nonacademic hospital in Delft, the Netherlands. Methods: The frequency of reduced consciousness, hypothermia, electrolyte disturbances, hypoglycemia, and acidosis along with alcohol intoxication was retrospectively studied in the medical records of patients aged 11 to 17 years admitted between January 1, 2000, and April 30, 2010. Results: Reduced consciousness (45%) and hypothermia (43.1%) were the most common clinical findings. More boys than girls experienced hypothermia (P = .028), probably because of the higher blood alcohol concentration level ( P = .026), which was associated with lower temperature (Pearson’s r = -.37; P < .001). The most frequent electrolyte disturbance was hyperchloremia (31.1%), followed by low bicarbonate (22%), hypokalemia (11.9%), and hypernatremia (7.7%). Strikingly, none of the patients in this study suffered hypoglycemia. On the contrary, 13.6% of the patients were slightly hyperglycemic. Mild acidosis, both metabolic and respiratory, was observed among 28.8% of the patients, although the metabolic component predominated. Conclusions: Acute medical complications because of alcohol intoxication appeared to be mild, and most remarkably none of the patients experienced hypoglycemia.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0009-9228 1938-2707
DOI:	10.1177/0009922810388509