Health Care Industry

Caffeine abuse among young people discovered in examination of poison center calls

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Jan, 2007

A three-year examination of calls to a Chicago poison center may reveal an emerging problem with caffeine abuse among young people, according to a new study released during the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in New Orleans. More than 250 cases of medical complications from ingesting caffeine supplements came into the poison center with 12% of the cases requiring hospitalization, including in intensive care units.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Dr. Danielle McCarthy and her colleagues at Northwestern University compiled the data from calls into the Illinois Poison Center in Chicago. The researchers focused on caffeine medications and dietary supplements, not on coffee or tea products. In this study, the average age of those who abused caffeine was 21.

More Articles of Interest

"This study is a first step in understanding the problem of caffeine abuse," said Dr. McCarthy. "Young people taking caffeine either to stay awake or for a feeling of euphoria may actually end up in the emergency department more often than we think. Young people being hospitalized for chest pains and heart palpitations are rarely asked if they've taken caffeine supplements because everyone perceives [those supplements] to be safe."

Caffeine alone was abused in 186 of the cases (68%) and abused with other pharmaceutical products in 81 (29%) of the cases. Of all the variables examined, it was use of other pharmaceutical products along with the caffeine abuse that was significantly associated with hospitalization. Of the 31 patients who were hospitalized, 20 of them (65%) required admission to the intensive care unit.

"Part of the problem is that people do not think of caffeine as a drug, but rather as a food product," said Dr. McCarthy. "We want people ingesting caffeine pills and supplements to know that caffeine is a drug, and overuse is potentially harmful, especially when mixed with other pharmaceuticals for euphoria. There is a trend in the pro-drug culture towards promoting legal alternatives to illegal drugs, and it can be very harmful."

Dr. McCarthy says more research is needed to understand the long-term effects of caffeine abuse, and she emphasizes that there is no data to suggest that caffeine in doses associated with drinking coffee or tea poses any health problems. The study did not define caffeine abuse; people self-reported the abuse to the poison center. Symptoms of caffeine abuse can include insomnia, palpitations, tremors, sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pains, and neurological symptoms.

The caffeine study is being presented in New Orleans at ACEP's annual Scientific Assembly, during which emergency physicians from the around the US and many other nations will gather to share research and learn the latest developments in emergency care and patient safety. More than 400 poster presentations are scheduled to be presented this year. For more information about the research, visit www.acep.org/sa.> ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine with more than 25,000 members. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.