ABSTRACT
Background. Childhood poisoning is an important cause of morbidity in both developed and developing countries. Epidemiological studies on accidental poisoning in children show a consistent pattern regarding age and gender. Childhood poisoning is predominant in children 6 years of age and has a male preponderance; as boys are more active with a drive to explore the environment. Objective. To document the epidemiology of home poisonings in Kumasi and its environs. Methods. We conducted a retrospective study from January 2007 to January 2012 at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital; a tertiary hospital in Ghana.Results. Poisoning is a significant health problem in the study area. A total of 253 children reported to the hospital with poisoning over the 61-month period; with an average of four cases per month. The male to female ratio was 1.58:1. The median age of the children was 24 months (interquartile range 24 - 48 months). Kerosene was the leading cause of poisoning (39.5%). Conclusion. Paediatric poisoning is a major health hazard in children living in Kumasi and its environs. This can possibly be attributed to a lack of adequate supervision of children and poor storage of harmful substances in homes. Multidisciplinary interventions are needed to reduce the occurrence of the condition in the population at risk
Subject(s)
Ghana , Hazardous Substances , Hospitals, Teaching , Poisoning/epidemiology , Poisoning/prevention & controlABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to characterise acute poisoning cases admitted to a number of selected hospitals in South Africa. All cases admitted to eight hospitals; from January 2005 to June 2005; were evaluated retrospectively. Data obtained from the hospital medical records included the following: demographic characteristics; toxic agents; length of hospital stay; circumstances of poisoning; morbidity and mortality information on the poisoned patients. From a total of 424 patients admitted for treatment; whose median age was 17.6 years; 57.8were females; and 89.6black Africans. Fifty-nine percent of the poisonings were accidental; and the involved toxic agents were; in descending order: household chemicals (45.7); modern medicines (17.5); animal/insect bites (15.8); agrochemical chemicals (9.7); food poisoning (5.4); drugs of abuse (3.3); traditional medicines (2.4); and plants (0.2). Poisoning by drugs of abuse was commoner in males than females; but the percentage of females poisoned by all other toxic agents was higher than in males. Most patients spent less than two days in hospital; but more females (70.1) than males (29.9) stayed for more than two days. The overall case fatality rate was 2.4. Of those who died; 80were black Africans; aged 13 to 19 years and it was deliberate poisoning through drugs of abuse; carbon monoxide and agricultural chemicals. Acute poisoning reviewed in some selected hospitals in South Africa revealed that more black African females were involved; who spent more than two days hospitalised. The case fatality rate was 2.4; mainly due to drugs of abuse; carbon monoxide and agricultural chemicals. These findings suggest that further studies are needed to understand the motivation(s) for this emerging problem and that these should focus primarily on the female black African
Subject(s)
Female , Poisoning/diagnosis , Poisoning/epidemiology , Poisoning/etiologyABSTRACT
A partir de 308 cas d'intoxications colliges en 6 ans chez l'enfant de 0 a 5 ans; les auteurs ont evalue a 6;3 pour cent la frequence hospitaliere de cette pathologie. Les toxiques les plus souvent en cause etaient le petrole : 213 cas (69;2 pour cent) et les medicaments : 63 cas (20;4 pour cent). L'indigestion avait lieu au domicile familial dans 268 cas (87 pour cent) et le delai de prise en charge therapeutique etait compris entre 2 et 6 heures dans 55;8 pour cent. Les auteurs insistent sur la prevention des intoxications par l'education pour la sante