title: Prevalence of ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulphate among patients injured when driving or at work.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Presence of EtG or EtS among patients injured when driving or at work may indicate that very low BAC or residual effects of alcohol at the time of the accident may be associated with increased accident risk. The aim of this study was to assess: whether the alcohol metabolites EtG and EtS were present in a sample of patients injured when driving or injured at work, even if their blood alcohol concentration was negative; and, if EtG and EtS were present, what characterized these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples from patients admitted for treatment of injuries at a Norwegian emergency department were tested for alcohol, EtG and EtS. All samples were also analysed for medicinal and illicit psychoactive substances.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and ninety-two injured patients who were admitted <12 h after injury were included in the study. EtG or EtS were the most prevalent substances in the sample (17%), and a substantial proportion of the patients who tested negative for all other substances tested positive for EtG or EtS (8%). These patients were older than the rest of the sample and drank alcohol more often, according to their self-report.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EtG and EtS were prevalent among patients injured when driving or injured at work, including patients negative for all other substances. EtG and EtS should be included in future case-control studies of psychoactive substance use among injured patients to investigate the possible association between residual alcohol effects and injuries.
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, Oslo N-0403, Norway Emergency Department, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Ullevaal, PO Box 4956 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway Lovisenberg University College, Lovisenberggt. 15b, 0456 Oslo, Norway stigtore.bogstrand@fhi.no.
authors.forename: Stig Tore
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Bogstrand
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, Oslo N-0403, Norway.
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Høiseth
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, PO Box 565 Sentrum, N-0105 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rossow
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, Oslo N-0403, Norway.
authors.forename: Per Trygve
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Normann
authors.affiliation: Department of Acute Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Ullevaal, PO Box 4956 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Oivind
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ekeberg
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005965:Glucuronates / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005965:Glucuronates; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters; C093924:ethyl glucuronide; C011612:diethyl sulfate