NIH: Alcohol-related ED visits up 47% since 2006

Hospital emergency department visits related to alcohol use increased 47% between 2006 and 2014, or an average 210,000 per year, outpacing the increase for any other cause, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Rates increased more for females than males and were highest for adults aged 45 to 64. “During the study period, the number of people in the United States who drank alcohol and the total amount of alcohol consumed each year remained about the same,” said lead study author Aaron White, senior scientific adviser to the NIAAA director. “We suspect the increase in ED visits is related to an increase in the intensity of alcohol use among a subset of drinkers.”