Pre-accident medication and alcohol in burn and other accident victims.

The level of pre-accident drinking was found, to be high in a consecutive series of severely injured burn victims and also a group of other accident victims matched for age and sex. More males than females had drunk prior to their accident. Similarly, the number of victims who had taken medication in the 25 h prior to the accident was high. More females than males had taken medication: predominantly drugs with effect on the central nervous system.