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Teens hospitalized for violent, substance-related injury at long-term risk for additional harms
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Long-term risks for death and other subsequent adversity-related injuries were increased among adolescents initially hospitalized for injuries related to substance abuse or violence, according to recent research in PLoS Medicine.
“We used national hospitalization data … to determine the cumulative risks of death and emergency readmission in adolescents over … 10 years after discharge following an admission for violent, drug/alcohol-related, or self-inflicted injury,” Annie Herbert, MSc, of the population, policy and practice program at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, and colleagues wrote. “Adolescents discharged after an admission for violent, drug- or alcohol-related or self-inflicted injury have increased risks of subsequent harm up to a decade later.”
Annie Herbert
The researchers retrospectively compared National Health Services data from England for 333,009 children aged 10 to 19 years, admitted for adversity-related injuries, with data from 649,818 children admitted for accidental injuries. Data were analyzed to estimate the risk for death and emergency readmission for up to 10 years after initial hospitalizations. Participants were classified by age: those aged 10 to 14 years, aged 15 to 17 years and aged 18 to 19 years.
Study results revealed that risks for death were greater among children discharged after an admission for an adversity-related injury among girls (adjusted HR = 1.61; 95% CI, 1.43-1.82) and boys (aHR = 2.13; 95% CI, 1.98-2.29), compared with girls and boys admitted for accident-related injury. The risks for readmission also were greater among girls (aHR= 1.76; 95% CI, 1.74-1.79) and boys (aHR = 1.41; 95% CI, 1.39-1.43) admitted for adversity-related injuries.
The researchers observed that 1 in 137 girls discharged after an adversity-related injury and 1 in 64 boys discharged after an adversity-related injury died within 10 years of discharge.
“Introduction of preventive strategies for reducing subsequent harm after admission should be considered for all types of adversity-related injury, particularly for older adolescents,” Herbert and colleagues wrote. – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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