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Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on March 6, 2007
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2007 42(5):474-479; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agm003
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Copyright © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Medical Council on Alcohol.

Weekday distribution of head traumas in patients admitted to the emergency department of a city hospital: effects of age, gender and drinking pattern

Jussi Puljula1,*, Olli Savola2, Veli Tuomivaara1, Joseph Pribula3 and Matti Hillbom1

1 Department of Neurology, Oulu University Hospital, Finland
2 Department of Neurosurgery, Oulu University Hospital, Finland
3 Department of Neurology, District Central Hospital of Litomerice, Czech Republic

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Neurology, Oulu University Hospital, FIN-90029 OYS, Oulu, Finland; E-mail: jpuljula{at}paju.oulu.fi

Received 6 June 2006; first review notified 21 December 2006; ; accepted 16 January 2007


  Abstract

Aims: To define the alcohol-related risk for head traumas and to compare the weekly and monthly variations in alcohol consumption, and the occurrence of head traumas in a population with heavy episodic drinking as the prevailing drinking pattern. Methods: All consecutive admissions due to head trauma into a Finnish city hospital during 1 year (1999) were recorded. 832 consecutive patients with data on alcohol consumption were covered. We compared the number of final diagnoses of head traumas per day and month to the anticipated frequency in the absence of any weekly or monthly variation. Official statistics on alcohol consumption in Finland are presented as reference. Results: Alcohol-related head traumas were most common in young adults and people of working age. The occurrence of head traumas in sober subjects showed no temporal variations. By contrast, alcohol-related cases peaked on weekends and in the most popular vacation month (July). The alcohol-related risk from Friday to Sunday was 27.3% in women and 20.3% in men. The additional risk related to alcohol consumption in July was 16.1% in women and 5.3% in men. Conclusions: We found an excess of head traumas during weekends and the primary vacation month, and this excess was associated with heavy episodic drinking. Active measures are needed to prevent head traumas caused by this type of behaviour.


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