Hypothermia and acute alcohol intoxication in Dutch adolescents: The relationship between core and outdoor temperatures

Purpose: To investigate hypothermia and its potential association with core and outdoor temperatures in adolescents suffering from acute alcohol intoxication. Methods: Data were derived from the Dutch Pediatric Surveillance System, which monitors alcohol intoxication among all Dutch adolescents. Adolescents < 18 years of age with a positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC > 0 g/l) were included. This resulted in an analysis of data from the years 2011 to 2015 that were obtained through a total of 967 questionnaires. Results: This study revealed small but significantly lower core temperatures in winter time (35.59°C [96.06°F]) versus summer time (35.83°C [96.49°F]). These differences could not be attributed to the genders and ages of the patients. In winter time, 26.6% of the adolescents experienced mild hypothermia, with body temperatures of 32.00–34.99°C (89.60–94.98°F), compared to 18.0% during the summer. Although not significant, amounts of time spent in reduced consciousness, hospitalized and receiving intensive care were prolonged in adolescents with lower core temperatures. Conclusions: This article is the first to describe this trend of hypothermia among alcohol-intoxicated Dutch adolescents admitted during winter time. These findings are important for awareness of this issue and can be used for prevention strategies in the future.