Alcohol-related minor injuries in an emergency room setting (ARMIERo): a case-crossover study on alcohol consumption and alcohol attributable fraction of minor injuries

Background Injuries represent a major public health burden and are frequently associated with acute alcohol consumption. However, minor injuries are often excluded from previous research, despite accounting for a substantial proportion of the overall injury burden and emergency department (ED) attendances. We aimed to investigate the association between acute alcohol consumption and minor injuries in people presenting to an ED and to identify the alcohol-attributable fraction (AAF) of minor injuries. Methods We conducted a prospective case-crossover study in an academic tertiary and level 1 trauma centre in Switzerland over a 4-month period (September to December 2023). Adults aged ≥16 years presenting to the ED with minor injuries were eligible. A total of 526 individuals were screened. The primary objective was the analysis of the association between acute alcohol consumption (within 6 hours before the event) and minor injury risk. The AAF of minor injuries was calculated. Subgroup analysis explored injury risk in relation to drinking patterns, gender and age. Results Among 353 included participants, 18.1% reported acute alcohol consumption within 6 hours of injury. Acute alcohol consumption was associated with increased odds of minor injury (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.67 to 4.18). The AAF for minor injuries was 23%. Exploratory subgroup analysis revealed an increased injury risk among participants reporting chronic binge drinking (OR 3.81, 95% CI 1.82 to 7.99) and women (OR 5.52, 95% CI 2.02 to 15.08). Conclusions Acute alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of minor injuries, with nearly one quarter of cases potentially attributable to acute alcohol consumption. Given the high volume of minor injuries in EDs, systematic screening and brief intervention strategies may represent opportunities to reduce the preventable injury burden.