Deadly partners: interdependence of alcohol and trauma in the clinical setting.
Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 1 to 45. Over a third of all fatal motor vehicle collisions and nearly eighty percent of completed suicides involve alcohol. Alcohol can be both a cause of traumatic injury as well as a confounding factor in the diagnosis and treatment of the injured patient. Fortunately, brief interventions after alcohol-related traumatic events have been shown to decrease both trauma recidivism and long-term alcohol use. This review will address the epidemiology of alcohol-related trauma, the influence of alcohol on mortality and other outcomes, and the role of prevention in alcohol-related trauma, within the confines of the clinical setting.
Hayman
Amanda V
AV
Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611-2950, USA. a-hayman@md.northwestern.edu
Crandall
Marie L
ML
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality