Visits of adolescents for acute alcohol intoxication to emergency departments in Northern Italy: natives and non-natives

Background: In Italy, although the number of foreign-born residents has grown exponentially, there are still few studies oriented to the alcohol misuse concerning the population of minors. Our objective was to describe characteristics of minors (natives and non-natives) admitted to the Emergency Departments (ED) following Alcohol Acute Intoxication (AAI) in Northern Italy. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all the records of patients aged 12–17 years admitted from 2009 to 2017 to 11 EDs. Results: Out of 97,445 minors, we identified 554 AAI: 39.2% female, 22.7% non-natives, 21% reported illegal substance use. We highlight a quote of 5.7 AAI admissions every thousand ED admissions, rising over time, higher among males (6.2) and non-natives (8.4). The standardized rates per thousand residents were 1.29, higher among males and non-natives. The non-natives are distinguished by a higher percentage of male, of clients of homes for minors/protected center, of patients with psychiatric drugs use. Minors born in Latin America had the highest proportion of AAI admissions and the highest standardized rates. Conclusions: AAI is increasing among Italian adolescents, particularly in the non-native population, and it is associated with illegal substance use. Differences emerge among the non-natives on the basis of their country of birth.