Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and severity of neurological impairment. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI; N = 119) with dates of injury between 1991 and 2000 who received their acute treatment at a midwestern Model SCI Care System and for whom information regarding BAC was available. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: severity of neurological impairment. Data were analyzed using chi2 tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: A significant association was observed between impairment severity and BAC. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that alcohol consumption is associated with severity of SCI. A more rigorous study controlling for trauma attributes is necessary to confirm these results and appraise whether alcohol has a potentiating effect on impairment. If borne out, the study's findings may lead to alterations in emergency room procedures and to changes in public health and education efforts resulting from a reframing of the issue of safe consumption of alcohol.