ER-visits: more alcohol intoxications and accidents with alcohol

17 December 2018

Today, VeiligheidNL published 'Alcohol intoxications and accidents with alcohol; emergency room visits 2017'. The figures show a steadily increasing number of incidents in the Netherlands. It is not clear whether, or to what extent, this increase can be explained by an improvement in the registration of alcohol-related health incidents.

In 2017, an estimated 6,000 people were treated in an ER of a hospital following an alcohol intoxication. Among them were more men (60%, 3,600) than women (40%, 2,400).

Almost one in four people in the ER with an alcohol intoxication was younger than 18 years. Within the group of 12-17-year old, a large majority was 16 or 17 years old. Most of the patients (55%) were boys. 69% of ER-visitors with alcohol intoxication from the youngest age group (up to 18 years) had to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. The number of patients with alcohol intoxication in the 12-17 age group has not increased significantly in the last ten years.

In 2017, an estimated 17,800 people were treated in an ER as a result of an alcohol related accident or alcohol related violence. This is an increase compared to 2016 with 1,500. An increase has been going on for a few years and is greatest in (male) patients aged 18-24, but also relatively large in the age category older than 55 years.

Source: rijksoverheid.nl.

alcoholvergiftigingen-en-ongevallen-met-alcohol-1_3.pdf (478 kB)

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