Alcohol Intoxication: An Emerging Public Health Problem

Background: Alcohol-related disorders are among major public health problems around the world. We aimed to focus on the trends of alcohol intoxication in Mashhad for the recent seven years. Methods: Registry database was analyzed. All admitted cases with alcohol-related intoxication were included during 2004 to 2011. Two national censuses were used for rate calculation. Results: There were 772 admissions due to alcohol (ethanol and methanol) intoxication (1.6% of all poisonings which equals to a prevalence rate of 3.3 per 100,000) during the 7-year period. Mean age was 25±11.9 years, and 90% of subjects were male. Alcohol intoxication prevalence was tripled as compared to 2004. Case fatality rate was higher in women (7.5% vs. 6.6%). Males who were self-employed or unemployed and females who were housekeepers or students were at greatest risk. The age-specific prevalence rate was highest in 10-20 (6.25 per 100,000), and the age-specific mortality rate was highest in 30-40 (2.13 per 100,000) age group. Conclusion: It seems that current health policies need to improve regarding complications of alcohol use in the area to effectively control the increasing rates. Further national studies are warranted.