Characteristics of adolescents admitted with acute alcohol intoxication : a retrospective multicentre study in Antwerp, Belgium, in the period 2015–2021

Abstract: Binge drinking among adolescents is common in Belgium, posing a risk of serious health consequences. Until today, only estimations of the prevalence of acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) in adolescents have been made. Research into potential risk factors has not yet been conducted in Belgium. Therefore, this study aims to gain more insight into the prevalence, medical characteristics and potential risk factors of AAI among adolescents. A retrospective multicentre chart study was performed on adolescents aged 10–17 years with AAI in Antwerp, Belgium (2015–2021). Patient’s demographics,... Mehr ...

Verfasser: van Roozendaal, Hanna
Verhulst, Stijn
Glazemakers, Inge
De Meulder, Frederic
Vander Auwera, Ann
Bael, An
Van Damme, Emmi
Vlemincx, Ilse
de Dooy, Jozef
van der Lely, Nico
Van Hal, Guido F.
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
Schlagwörter: Psychology / Sociology / Human medicine
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26600284
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://hdl.handle.net/10067/1980450151162165141

Abstract: Binge drinking among adolescents is common in Belgium, posing a risk of serious health consequences. Until today, only estimations of the prevalence of acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) in adolescents have been made. Research into potential risk factors has not yet been conducted in Belgium. Therefore, this study aims to gain more insight into the prevalence, medical characteristics and potential risk factors of AAI among adolescents. A retrospective multicentre chart study was performed on adolescents aged 10–17 years with AAI in Antwerp, Belgium (2015–2021). Patient’s demographics, medical characteristics and information regarding the context of the AAI were collected from medical charts. Over the study period, a total of 1016 patients were admitted with AAI in Antwerp, having a median age of 16.6 years old, a median blood alcohol concentration of 1.95 g/L and combined drug use in 10% of cases. These findings did not significantly change over the study period. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that after correcting for covariates, higher age, no combined drug use and decreased consciousness at admission were associated with more severe AAI cases (higher blood alcohol concentration). This study shows that AAI is prevalent among Belgian adolescents, and better targeted preventive measures and policies are needed. Our findings could be taken into account when developing preventive measures. However, data addressing the demographics and context of AAI were mostly missing. Therefore, prospective research is required to further investigate potential risk factors associated with AAI.