Ten years of alcohol intoxications in adolescents and treatment in pediatric departments in Dutch hospital

Aim: Alcohol intoxication in children and adolescents is a severe health concern in current pediatrics. In this longitudinal study, we monitored intake and treatment of 5,893 adolescents in Departments of Pediatrics in Dutch hospitals over the years 2007 to 2016. Methods: From 2007 till 2016 we collected data on all adolescents (inclusion criteria: aged younger than 18 and with a positive BAC), treated by a pediatrician in all Dutch hospitals. Within the dutch pediatric surveillance system (NSCK), all pediatricians report adolescents and fill in a questionnaire, making use of a patient interview. Results: In total 5,893 adolescents were treated, mainly (4,678; 88%) related to severe alcohol intoxication; mean age was 15.4 years, and 52% were boys. BAC level increased during this period (1.82 in 2007 and 2.01 in 2016), and reduced consciousness lasted from 2.24 hours in 2007 till 3.12 hours in 2016). 11.4% Of the adolescents with alcohol intoxication had simultaneous drug usage. The attitude of the parents changed during the years: in 2011 (first year of registration) 68% of the parents gave permission to their child to drink alcohol, in 2016 this decreased to only 19%. Conclusions: Alcohol intoxication treatment remains an issue of importance. This dataset enables us to conduct longitudinal and interesting analyses on alcohol intoxication characteristics in youngsters, medical tre atment, and events leading up to the intoxication.