ER Visits From Drinking Energy Drinks Jump Tenfold Since 2005, Report Says
By Brenda Goodman, MA
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Hansa D. Bhargava, MD, FAAP
Nov. 22, 2011 -- There's been a big spike in the number of people who need emergency medical attention after they guzzle popular caffeinated energy drinks, according to a new government report.
The report shows a more than a tenfold increase in the number of emergency room visits tied to the use of these drinks between 2005 and 2009.
In 2005, 1,128 ER visits were associated with the use of energy drinks compared to 13,114 in 2009. That number peaked in 2008 with more than 16,000 ER visits linked to energy drinks.
Beverage manufacturers fired back at the statistics, charging that they are misleading since they are being taken out of context.
"Of the more than 123 million visits made to emergency room facilities each year, less than one one-hundredth of one percent involved people who consumed energy drinks according to this report," says the American Beverage Association in a statement.
"Even so, this report shares no information about the overall health of those who allegedly consumed energy drinks, or even what symptoms brought them to the ER in the first place," the statement says.
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