title: Epidemiology of Alcohol Poisoning and Its Outcome in the North-West of Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alcohol poisoning is one of the main preventable causes of death, disability, and injury in many societies. Ethanol and methanol are the most prevalent kinds of alcohol used. There is no any exact reports of alcohol poisoning and its outcome in Iranian society. Therefore, the present study was assessed the status of alcohol poisoning and its outcome in referees to the emergency department.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional study, which was done from July 2013 to 2014 in Sina Trauma Center, Tabriz, Iran. The studied population included all alcohol-poisoning cases referred to this center. Demographic variables, clinical evaluation, laboratory tests, and patient's outcome were evaluated. To assess the relation between evaluated factors and outcome of alcohol poisoning. After univariate analysis, a multivariate logistic regression was applied to evaluate independent risk factors for death. P<0.05 was considered as a significant level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lastly, 81 patients with alcohol poisoning were entered to the study (91.4% male) with the mean age of 27.9±10.4 years. Ten (12.3%) subjects were dialyzed and 34 (42%) cases hospitalized that 3 (3.7%) of them died. The multivariate logistic regression test displayed that plasma creatinine level (OR=2.2 95%Cl: 1.8-2.5; p=0.015) and need for dialysis (OR=6.4; 95%Cl: 5.3-7.5; p<0.001) were the only risk factors of death among these patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the present study revealed that total mortality rate of referees to the emergency with alcohol poisoning was 3.7% all of whom related to methanol poisoning. Based on this result, the mortality rate of methanol poisoning was estimated 20%. Need for dialysis and increasing the creatinine level were accounted as independent risk factors of death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid Reza
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Morteza Bagi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathalogy, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tagizadieh
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Payman
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moharamzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahboob
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pouraghaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Aynaz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kahvareh Barhagi
authors.affiliation: Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Kavous
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shahsavari Nia
keywords: Ethanol; alcohol drinking; alcoholism; methanol; mortality; poisoning