Increase in cannabis-related emergency room admissions among adults and children in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region between 2009 and 2014

Based on data from the Medical Information Systems Program (PMSI), the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM) issued an alert in 2015 regarding the increase in hospitalizations due to cannabis ingestion among children. The objective of the study was to describe cannabis-related admissions to emergency departments in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region based on emergency department visit summaries (RPUs). Over the 2009–2014 period, 15 emergency departments consistently submitted EDRs with a primary diagnosis reported for more than 95% of patients. Of these 2,948,980 visits, 1,182 were due to cannabis intoxication (CI), representing 4.1 per 10,000 visits. This proportion was highest among individuals aged 15 to 18 years (20.4 per 10,000). Among patients admitted for CI, 4.1% (n=49) were under 8 years of age, of whom 81.7% were under 2 years of age. Among those under 8 years of age, the hospitalization rate was higher (75.5% before age 8 vs. 12.7% after age 8), as was the proportion of ICU admissions (4.1% before age 8 vs. 0.2% after age 8). Between the 2009–2010 and 2013–2014 periods, there was an increase in the proportion of HF cases in EDs, except among those over 55 years of age. This increase was most pronounced among children under 8 years of age and those between 8 and 15 years of age. These results suggest that UHRs are an effective tool for monitoring HF-related admissions in emergency departments.

Author(s): Noel G, Franke F, Minodier P, Guarella M, Miramond S, Viudes G

Publishing year: 2016

Pages: 775-81

Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2016, n° 43, p. 775-81

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