Analysis of clinical and epidemiological characteristics of alcoholic intoxication patients admitted to the emergency department according to blood alcohol concentration

Jung, Young Cha; Cho, Won Jin; Park, Hyun Soo; Lee, Sun Young; Ko, Jung-In

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 37(3); 2026 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2026;37(3): 161-169.

응급의료센터에 내원한 음주 환자의 혈중 알코올 농도에 따른 임상 역학적 특징 분석

정영채¹

¹국립중앙의료원 응급의학과
²서울대학교병원 공공진료센터
³서울대학교 의과대학 휴먼시스템의학과
⁴강원대학교 일반대학원 의학과 응급의학교실

Analysis of clinical and epidemiological characteristics of alcoholic intoxication patients admitted to the emergency department according to blood alcohol concentration

, Jung-In Ko^1,4

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
²Healthcare Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
³3Department of Human Systems Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
⁴Department of Emergency Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea

Correspondence

Jung-In Ko ,Tel: 02-2260-7414, Fax: 02-2279-7075, Email: emregulus@gmail.com,

Received: August 29, 2024; Revised: November 12, 2024 Accepted: November 12, 2024. Published online: June 30, 2026.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
Alcoholic intoxication is a clinically harmful condition. Sensory changes and behavioral imbalances occur when the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeds 50 mg/dL. As a result, many patients in a drunken state visit the emergency department (ED). This study analyzed the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of alcohol patients who visited the ED of the authors’hospital according to BAC.
Methods:
This study included ED visits at a single center between 2014 and 2022. The inclusion criteria included adult patients who underwent quantitative blood alcohol testing among patients who visited the ED. The analysis was divided into five groups according to the measured BAC.
Results:
A total of 8,430 patients were included in the study. The proportions of men, homeless, and those using an ambulance were higher in the BAC ≥400 mg/dL group (91.6%, 72.1%, and 97.7%, respectively) than in the BAC 50-99 mg/dL group. Multivariate analysis showed that the factors positively associated with admission included unresponsive patients (odds ratio [OR], 2.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.98-4.11), and trauma patients (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.47-1.84). In addition, BAC ≥400 mg/dL (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.32-0.56) decreased the odds compared to BAC 50-99 mg/dL.
Conclusion:
Most intoxicated patients visiting the ED were middle-aged and were men. The majority of visits occurred at night, and the average discharge time was 3.8 hours. Elevated BAC levels were associated with a higher proportion of homeless. Multivariable analysis showed that unresponsive or trauma patients had greater admission rates, whereas non-trauma cases, homeless, and those with elevated BAC levels were less likely to require admission.

Key words: Hospital emergency service; Alcoholic intoxication; Blood alcohol content