Alcohol and drug use are influential factors in the cause of trauma
events, as well as a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide.
This study evaluates the relationship between alcohol and drug use and
trauma events registered in emergency rooms of two major local hospitals
located in downtown San José, Costa Rica. An instrument was designed
to register the most common trauma events occurring at emergency
rooms related to recent alcohol and drug use, using self-report and
physician’s opinion, no BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) testing was
used. The questionnaire was administered to 1311 patients who visited
emergency rooms in a two-week period in July 1998.
The most frequent traumatic events were diagnosed as personal injuries
and home-related injuries, in both cases, recent alcohol use played a
significant role. Other events such as overdose and suicide attempt were
more related to tranquilizers and illicit drug use, especially in young
women. A significant relationship was found between the physician’s
opinion and alcohol use in the last 6 hours previous to the ER visit.
Approximately 25% of all emergency visits were alcohol related, with a
substantial increase during weekends.