Children 'more vulnerable to damage' from alcohol

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by Change | 16 Oct 2008

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A study of admissions to London hospitals over the past two years has revealed 1,800 youngsters have been treated in casualty after consuming alcohol.

Children as young as one or two have been among 1,800 youngsters treated in hospitals across London for ingesting alcohol between 2006 and 2008, it has been reported.

MPs and medical professionals are concerned about the parental control which has led to many of the incidents of alcohol abuse, of which some could have been "genuine accidents", according to the Daily Mail.

The findings across 12 medical institutions saw the University College Hospital treating a one-year-old for consuming alcohol and a 13-year-old boy brought in unconscious to Ealing Hospital after drinking.

Professionals have surmised this kind of early exposure to the substance could lead to an alcoholism disorder later on in life.

Dr Rajiv Jalan, a liver expert from University College London, told the newspaper: "It's important to understand that when a child is growing, then even small amounts of alcohol are associated with not just liver damage but also to other organs."

In other news, the Halifax Courier reported a study by the National Institute on alcohol abuse and Alcoholism in the US has suggested youngsters who taste alcohol before they are 15 are more vulnerable to developing a dependency when they are older.

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