Deliberate self-poisoning in children.

This prospective study was aimed to analyze the nature of and the factors associated with deliberate self-poisoning in children below the age of 12 years. Children referred to the Child Guidance Clinic for evaluation after recovery from the effects of poisoning during the five-year period between 1999 and 2003 formed the subjects of the study. The children were evaluated for stress factors, psychiatric disorders and the nature and mode of deliberate self-poisoning. Deliberate self-poisoning constituted 0.9% of total admissions due to poisoning. There were 10 boys and 2 girls between the ages of 9 and 12 years. Both acute and chronic stress in the family and school were associated with deliberate self-poisoning. Majority of them had psychiatric disorders. Rat poison (zinc phosphide) was the commonest poison used. Two children got the idea from watching TV serials.

Asthma and chronic bronchitis: contrasting changes in body weight and hematocrit values during recovery from acute episodes.

Two groups of hospital inpatients, one with asthma and the other with chronic bronchitis were studied during the course of an acute episode. All had comparable airways obstruction and were free of cardiac involvement. They were treated on roughly similar lines and without the use of adrenal corticosteroids or any other agent that may influence body water balance. Body weight and hematocrit values done on admission and following recovery from dyspnoes, show that the asthmatics gained in weight and showed significant decrease in hematocrit on recovery, while there was no appreciable changes in the bronchitic group.