Emergency department visits among men with alcohol-specific diagnoses rose 101% — from 1.99 million in 2003-04 to 3.99 million in 2021-22, according to a Health E-Stats report from the CDC. The findings highlight persistent sex-based differences in visit rates and steady growth in alcohol-related healthcare burdens.
The analysis used data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2003 to 2022. Alcohol-specific diagnoses were defined using 100% alcohol-attributed codes and excluded nonspecific cases such as injuries or motor vehicle crashes. The data represents a biannual average of approximately 4.32 million emergency department visits by patients with alcohol-specific diagnoses.
- Emergency visits among women with alcohol-specific diagnoses rose 96% — from 701,000 in 2003-04 to 1.37 million in 2021-22.
- Men had consistently higher visit rates: 124 visits per 10,000 males in 2021-22, compared to 41 visits per 10,000 females.
- Visit rates rose 75% for men and 71% for women — up from 71 to 124 visits per 10,000 males and from 24 to 41 per 10,000 females.
Read the full report here.
