ROCHESTER, Minn. - The cost of hospitalization for underage drinking is over three quarters of a billion dollars, a new study from Mayo Clinic says.
The study, using the most recent available data from 2008, says the cost to treat the roughly 40,000 youth who were hospitalized from drinking is about $755 million.
Much of the hospitalization cost - $505 million - involved treatment of injuries. The findings were published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health Wednesday.
The study looked at young drinkers aged 15-20 in 2008. Researchers found 79 percent of underage drinkers were drunk when they arrived at the hospital.
"When teenagers drink, they tend to drink excessively, leading to many destructive consequences including motor vehicle accidents, injuries, homicides and suicides," said researcher Terry Schneekloth, M.D., a Mayo Clinic addiction expert and psychiatrist.
A total of 107 of those hospitalized died (.27 percent): Their age was 18.6 years and 82 percent were male. Seventy-three percent of the deaths occurred during a hospitalization for injuries.
The study also revealed geographical findings, noting hospitalization was highest in the Midwest and Northeast. More whites were hospitalized than blacks while Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders had the lowest rates, the study showed.
"Alcohol use necessitating acute-care hospitalization represents one of the most serious consequences of underage drinking," Dr. Schneekloth said. "Harmful alcohol use in adolescence is a harbinger of alcohol abuse in adulthood."
Mayo Clinic's website lists the following as consequences of underage drinking:
• Alcohol-related fatalities. Alcohol-related accidents are a leading cause of teen deaths. Teen drownings, suicides and murders also have been linked with alcohol use.
• Sexual activity. Teens who drink tend to become sexually active earlier and have sex more often than do teens who don't drink. Teens who drink are also more likely to have unprotected sex than are teens who don't drink.
• School problems. Teens who drink tend to have more academic and conduct problems than do teens who don't drink. Also, drinking can lead to temporary or permanent suspension from sports and other extracurricular activities.
• Alcoholism. People who begin drinking as young teens are more likely to develop alcohol dependence than are people who wait until they're adults to drink.
• Being a victim of violent crime. Alcohol-related crimes might include rape, assault and robbery.
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