Alcohol-Induced Impairment in Adolescents Admitted to Inpatient Treatment After Heavy Episodic Drinking: Effects of Age and Gender

作者：Mick Inge; Gross Cornelius; Lachnit Andreas; Kalkbrenner Mania; Hoppe Linda; Reichert Joerg; Zimmermann Ulrich S^*

来源：Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2015, 76(3): 493-497.

DOI：10.15288/jsad.2015.76.493

Objective: In Germany and many other countries, the number of adolescent heavy episodic drinking induced hospital admissions (HEDHA) in pediatric units markedly increased during the past decade. A low level of response to alcohol in young adults is associated with high risk for later development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Method: We performed a retrospective chart review of all 1,123 HEDHA cases in adolescents aged 11-17 years who were admitted to one of the pediatric inpatient units covering the cities of Dresden, Pima, and Rostock, Germany, between 2000 and 2008. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) measures on admission were documented in 846 cases. Results: The mean (SD) BAC was 155 (50) mg/100 ml full blood, and M (SD) GCS was 12.21 (3.02). These parameters were negatively correlated with each other (r = -.256, p < .001), indicating more impairment at higher BACs. To describe a numerical estimate of how severely a subject was compromised relative to his BAC, the GCS scores were inverted (making high scores indicate severe impairment) and divided by BAC. The resulting alcohol-induced impairment index (AIII) was significantly influenced by an interaction between age and gender, decreasing with age in boys but increasing in girls. Conclusions: During adolescence, alcohol-induced impairment develops differently in boys and girls, which may be because of the girls' developmental edge. The high variability of observed AIII might help to predict the risk for later AUDs in the emergency department, simply by measuring BAC and GCS.

• 出版日期2015-5