Epidemiology and risk factors of voluntary pesticide poisoning in Morocco (2008-2014).

OBJECTIVES: To determine the epidemiological profile and risk factors of voluntary poisoning by pesticides. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of all cases of voluntary poisoning by pesticides registered at the AntiPoison and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco between January 2008 and December 2014. RESULTS: During the study period, 2,690 cases of acute pesticide poisoning were registered. The region of Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer accounted for the largest proportion, with 598 cases. The average age of the patients was 24.63±10.29 years. The sex ratio (female-to-male) was 0.45. Adults and teenagers were most affected by this type of poisoning, with 1,667 cases (62.0%) and 806 cases (30.0%), respectively. Suicide attempts accounted for 98.4% of the cases (2,469 cases). Pesticide poisoning occurred more often in urban zones (64.8%). Insecticides were incriminated in 14.0% of cases, with a mortality rate of 4.2%. Among the 1,635 patients for whom the outcomes were known, 154 died, corresponding to a mortality rate of 5.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Voluntary intoxication by pesticides presents a real scourge that affects public health, and in this study, we developed an epidemiological profile of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, this study has limitations in that it did not evaluate the impact of the socioeconomic and psychological factors that are important contributors to this type of poisoning.

[Suicide by poisoning in the Souss-Massa-Drâa region of Morocco]. / Suicides par intoxication dans la région de Souss-Massa-Drâa au Maroc.

INTRODUCTION: Deliberate self-poisoning is a serious problem in Morocco, including in the Souss-Massa-Drâa region. However, our understanding of the problem of suicidal poisoning remains limited. SUBJECT: This paper aims to describe the characteristics of patients, toxic substances and poisoning and to identify the risk factors influencing patient outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted of all cases of deliberate self-poisoning recorded between 1981 and 2007 by the Centre Anti-Poison et de Pharmacovigilance du Maroc. RESULTS: 1,130 cases of self-poisoning were identified. The mean age was 25 ± 10.1 years and the sex ratio was 0.4. Paraphenylenediamine was the most common cause of death (48 deaths), followed by hydrochloric acid (15 deaths). A close relationship was found between progression to healing and female adolescents and between progression to death and men in other age groups. The study also found that patients who used paraphenylenediamine were twelve times more likely to die (CI95%: 7.4%-19.2%) than those who used other substances. Patients with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions had a relative risk of 9.8 (CI95%: 6.3%-16%) and 3.6 (CI95%: 2.3%-5.7%). Of the 937 cases with known outcome, 89 died (9.5%).