UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Ethanol exposures among infants in the US: 2009-2018

Keywords: ethanol exposure, infant, national poison data system. (PubMed Search)

Posted: 12/3/2020 by Hong Kim, MD
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Ethanol exposure among young children can result in significant morbidity. Infants and young children can be exposed to ethanol in many different ways: exploratory ingestion, mixed in formula-both intentionally and unintentionally, etc.

A recently published study used national poison data system to characterize the ethanol exposure among infants < 12 months of age.

Results:

Between 2009-2018, 1,818 ethanol exposures among infants were reported. Oral ingestion was the most common (96.7%; n=1738). Annual number of ethanol exposure increased by 37.5% each year.

Exposure site

Residence: 96.7% (n=1,758)
Public are/workplace or school: 1.6% (n=29)

Age

0-2 months: 16.3% (n=296)
3-5 months: 19.6% (n=357)
6-8 months: 18.8% (n=341)
9-11 months: 45.3% (n=824)

Clinically significant effects

Coma: 20
Hypoglycemia: 16
Respiratory depression: 15
Seizures: 13
Hypothermia: 9
Cardiac arrest: 4
Respiratory arrest: 3
Death: 5

563 infants (31%) were evaluated at hospital

38% (n=214) of the exposures were hospitalized

0-5 months of age

higher odds of admission: non-critical (OR: 2.35, 95% CI: 1.41-3.92) or critical care unit (OR: 2.39; 95% CI:1.5-3.79)
higher odds of serious outcome (OR: 4.65; 95% IC: 3.18-6.79)

Conclusion

Ethanol exposure among infants is increasing each year and associated with serious clinical effects.

References

Gaw CE et al. Beverage ethanol exposure among infants reported to United States pison control centers 2020 Clin Toxicol (Phila) https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2020.1843658