Epidemiology of pediatric acute poisoning in southern Iran: a hospital-based study

ABSTRACT

To determine the epidemiology of acute childhood poisoning in Shiraz, southern Iran. This was a prospective cross-sectional descriptive study, being performed in Nemazee and Dastgheib Hospitals affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The study included pediatric patients [<18 years]referred to our centers due to acute poisoning. Demographic and etiological factors were prospectively recorded and analyzed. A total of 773 patients with mean age of 3.86 +/- 1.5 years were recruited in the study. The most common group which included 352 [45.5%] patients, aged between 8 months and 5 years followed by 330 [42.6%] cases aged from 12-18 years. In majority of cases, poisoning was due to opium in 222 [23.5%] followed by analgesics in 181 [19.1%], which mostly included acetaminophen in 75 [7.9%], anti-depressants in 170 [17.9%], anti-hypertensive drugs in 65 [6.8%] and hydrocarbons in 60 [6.3%]. There were 260 [33.7%] boys and 513 [66.3%] girls. The poisoning occurred inadvertently in 387 [50.1%] cases while 298 [38.5%] patients committed suicide. Most cases [255 patients; 32.9%] were asymptomatic at presentation. Our study substantiated the following findings: A] Alarmingly, opium is the most common cause of acute childhood poisoning in our area. B] Easy access to toxic material is the most common risk factor for acute childhood poisoning. C] Female predominance of acute childhood poisoning accompanied by high rate of suicidal attempts shows that psychiatric problems, especially depression is most common among young girls