[How to distinguish between illness, injury or intoxication in the emergency unit?].
BACKGROUND
Clinical judgement of intoxicated patients is difficult. In the emergency department of the inner city of Oslo this is done every day.


METHODS
During a one-year period from 1998-99, a group of 429 first-time admitted intoxicated patients were included in a study. The patients and the method of observation are described.


RESULTS
75% of the patients were men; 45% reported to have consumed alcohol only, while 10% had taken a heroin overdose. The rest had used various combinations of legal and illegal drugs. Female patients were younger than male patients (29 versus 36 years, p < 0.00), and patients intoxicated only on alcohol were on the average older than patients who had taken drugs (38 versus 31 years, p < 0.00). 57 patients were hospitalized, seven of them had serious intracerebral conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study indicates that systematic observation over some hours, repeated clinical examinations, and the systematic use of a modified Glasgow Coma Scale makes it possible to sort out the seriously ill from "only" intoxicated patients.
Nore
A K
AK
Ullevål sykehus Legevakten Storgata 40 0182 Oslo. annekatrine.nore@ulleval.no
Ommundsen
O E
OE
Steine
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016638:Critical Illness; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D062787:Drug Overdose; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D003932:Heroin / Q000506:poisoning; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009664:Norway; D011041:Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*
D003932:Heroin