Alcohol intoxication in four adolescents

Four teenagers, two boys aged 14 and almost 13 years and two girls aged 14.5 and 15 years, were hospitalised because acute alcohol intoxication was suspected. Three of them had only a single instance of excessive alcohol consumption, but the 13-year-old boy was admitted twice in three months due to alcohol intoxication. The blood alcohol concentration in these adolescents varied between 1.4 and 2.3 g/l. During admission the patients were treated symptomatically and there were no complications. Loss of consciousness occurs at lower blood alcohol concentrations in adolescents than in adults. There is also a greater risk of mild hypoglycaemia. In case of recurring excessive alcohol consumption, further psychosocial counselling is necessary.