Dose-Response Relative Risk of Injury from Acute Alcohol Consumption in 22 Countries: Are Women at Higher Risk Than Men?

Abstract

Aims: The risk of injury from alcohol consumption was analyzed by gender, controlling for frequency of heavy drinking occasions, and by cause of injury (traffic, violence, fall, other). Methods: Case-crossover analysis was conducted on 18,627 injured patients arriving at the emergency department (ED) within six hours of the event. Findings: Risk of injury was similar for females and males at ≤3 drinks prior to injury (OR = 2.74 vs. 2.76, respectively). At higher volume levels females were at greater risk than males, and significantly so at 3.1-6 drinks and 6.1-10 drinks (gender by volume interaction: OR = 0.60, CI = 0.39-0.93 and OR = 0.50, CI = 0.27-0.93, respectively). For those reporting 5+ ≥ monthly, females were at higher risk than males at all volume levels, and the gender by volume interaction was stronger than for those consuming 5+ <6 drinks), although the gender by volume interaction was significant only for injury from other causes at 3.1-6 drinks (OR = 0.23, CI = 0.09-0.87). Conclusions: Females are at higher risk of injury than males, regardless of frequency of heavy drinking and for all causes other than those related to traffic.