Teen emergency room visits for caffeine overdose spike
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Emergency room visits due to eating or drinking too much caffeine roughly doubled among adolescents in the past several years, according to new data from Epic Research.
Why it matters: The episodes are still relatively uncommon but they underscore the potential risks of excessive caffeine intake as energy drinks with high doses of the stimulant flood the market.
What they found: Epic looked at the records of 223 million emergency department visits for patients aged 11 to 35 from 2017 to 2023.
- The rate of visits due to caffeine overdose or adverse effects of caffeine more than doubled among middle school-aged kids from 3.1 per 100,000 visits in 2017 to 6.5 per 100,000 visits in 2023.
- For teens ages 15 to 18, the rate rose from 7.4 in 2017 to 13.6 per 100,000 visits in 2023.
- Rates of caffeine related emergency visits were higher among boys than girls.
Catch up quick: Caffeine intake has been rising among kid. A C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health found nearly one-quarter of parents say the stimulant is part of their teenager's daily diet.
- The most common sources of caffeine for teens include soda (73%), tea (32%), coffee (31%) and energy drinks (22%), the poll found.
Between the lines: The Food and Drug Administration says "for healthy individuals" a safe quantity of caffeine is 400 milligrams per day, which is about four to five cups of coffee.
- The potential effects of too much caffeine in a short period of time include heart palpitations, anxiety and increased blood pressure. In rare instances it can lead to severe arrhythmias, heart attacks and even death, per Epic.
- The potential danger of excessive caffeine intake came into stark view last year after the family of a college student sued Panera over a product called Charged Lemonade. The restaurant chain dropped the drink from its menus in May.
- Treatment for caffeine overdose could include intravenous fluids, activated charcoal and breathing support, according to Mount Sinai Health System.
