Alcohol a major cause of injuries, illness

Illness and injuries caused by alcohol abuse result in 7.6 million U.S. emergency room visits each year, about three times higher than previously thought, researchers said Monday.

The report from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said such cases are a significant burden on hospital emergency departments but one that has been underestimated because patients often don’t talk with doctors about drinking habits. Emergency personnel also may fail to identify signs of abuse.

The researchers, using information in a national database on hospital care from 1992 to 2000, estimated there were 68.6 million emergency room visits caused by alcohol during those years, averaging 7.6 million a year.

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The figure is three times higher than previous estimates, it added, and means that nearly 8 percent of all emergency room cases are alcohol-related. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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“Although U.S. public health officials recognize that emergency departments throughout the United States face an enormous burden from alcohol-related diseases and injuries, this study shows that the current literature significantly underestimates the magnitude of this burden,” the study said.

The authors recommended improved screening to identify alcohol-related cases so the patients could be referred for treatment that might reduce the caseload in the future.