Abstract

CASSIANI, Carlos Arturo; CUBIDES, Ángela Mayerly; BORRERO VARONA, Mayra Tatiana  and  MARIMON TRESPALACIOS, Wilberto. Alcohol and trauma: A priority public health problem. Salud, Barranquilla [online]. 2012, vol.28, n.1, pp.131-149. ISSN 0120-5552.

No doubt there is a complex relationship between trauma and alcohol consumption that makes this pairing a priority public health problem. Trauma is a major cause of disease burden. Alcohol is one of the major risk factors for global health by generating a variety of adverse effects on the people's lives, productivity and health systems. In the context of trauma, alcohol users are more likely to suffer injuries and make them more severe. In the emergency department is possible to recognize alcohol-related problems in patients through toxicological tests and self-report questionnaires. Patients with high blood alcohol levels or positive screening questionnaires are at high risk of recurrent trauma and hospitalizations. Moreover, alcohol use affects the initial management of trauma patients in different ways. Therefore the identification and treatment of trauma patients who have alcohol problems is the best method of secondary prevention in reducing the incidence of alcohol related traumatic injuries.

Keywords : Alcohol; trauma; epidemiology; public health; prevention.

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