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Published on: January 29, 2011
Drug and alcohol poisonings treated at Oslo Accident and Emergency Outpatient Clinic 2019-23
Karen Sørbø Larsen1, Mette Brekke2, Odd Martin Vallersnes3
1Det medisinske fakultet, Universitetet i Oslo.
Background:
Treating patients with drug and alcohol poisoning requires knowledge of which substances are involved. We describe drug and alcohol poisonings at Oslo Accident and Emergency Outpatient Clinic (OAEOC) in the period 2019-23.
Material And Method:
Cases of drug and alcohol poisoning (as opposed to unique patients) treated at OAEOC between 2019 and 2023 were retrospectively retrieved from the clinic's medical record system. Diagnoses were based on the treating doctor's clinical assessment as recorded in the patient's notes. Incidence rates were calculated based on the population of Oslo municipality aged ≥ 12 years.
Results:
In the period 2019-2023, OAEOC treated 18,402 cases of drug and alcohol poisoning, of which 8981 (49 %) were due to the consumption of pure ethanol. The overall incidence of drug and alcohol poisonings increased from 6.32 per 1000 inhabitants in 2019 to 6.68 in 2023, with a low point of 5.36 in 2021. The incidence of pure ethanol poisoning was 3.10 in 2019 and 3.06 in 2023, with a low point of 2.53 in 2020. Over the five-year period, the incidence of cocaine poisonings rose from 0.28 to 0.70, and ketamine poisonings from 0.01 to 0.12. The proportion of women increased from 33 % to 39 % for pure ethanol poisoning, and from 20 % to 31 % for other drug and alcohol poisonings.
Interpretation:
The incidence of drug and alcohol poisonings treated at OAEOC increased from 2019 to 2023, with a temporary decline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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