ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of poisoned children who were admitted to emergency department of a pediatric referral hospital.

All poisoned children under 18 years of age presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department in 2006 were determined. All information was collected retrospectively from recorded data. The materials which caused the intoxication were classified as drugs, caustic substances, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, foods, pesticides, rat poisons and other home products.

We studied among 513 cases, 267 (52%) were boys, 246 (48%) were girls and mean age was 4.60±0,17 (between 0-18 years). The poisoned patients represented 0.4% (513/133.808) of overall Pediatric Emergency Department visits in 2006. Drugs were the most commonly ingested agents followed by foods. Analgesics were the most common agents, forming 26% of all poisonings due to drugs, followed by ingestion of antidepressants and respiratory drugs at ratios of 18.7% and 14%, respectively. The most common route of poisoning was ingestion of the poison (459/513 patients, 88%). Emesis was the most common symptom (30.2%), followed by central nervous system depression (8.4%). Most (94.4%) of the cases were accidental, while 5.6% of them were suicidal.

The main poisoning reason was consumption of medicine of a child, accidentally. Determination of the epidemiologic characteristics of the cases of poisoning in our country is needed, for the prevention of childhood poisonings, and reducing the mortality and morbidity.

Keywords: Emergency, child, poisoning