A Study of Acute Poisoning Cases Admitted to the University Hospital Emergency Department in Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Chemical substances have an important threat due to extensive use in medicine, agriculture, industry and environment. In this retrospective study, etiological and demographic characteristics of acute poisoning cases admitted to a hospital in Iran were investigated. We compared these data with those reported from other parts of the country and the international experiences to evaluate any difference if exists. 7 052 poisoned cases admitted to the hospital from April 2006 to March 2013, by data collected from the medical record in poison center section. According to our results there is a predominance of male patients and the majority of the poisoned patients were between 20-30 years old. Drug poisoning was the most common cause of poisonings. The most frequently involved drugs were benzodiazepines and antidepressants. The seasonal distribution of our study showed a peak in summer. To prevent acute poisonings, the social education about the risk assessment of central nervous system-acting drugs and reduction of the exposure period of people to pesticides are recommended. This study suggested a proper educational program for the public and primary care units. Our results provide useful information for preventive strategies.

Five-year epidemiological trends for chemical poisoning in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“…The cause of this increase may be attributed to continuous changes in lifestyle and social behavior of the population. 2 However, the number of cases decreased again in 2014 and 2015, which may be due to the increasing awareness of the population about the problem of chemical poisoning, its complications and the methods of prevention through activities of MOH. Another reason may be because of the increasing population of Saudi Arabia.…”

“…Poison is capable of producing injury or dysfunction in the body as a result of chemical action. 1 , 2 It is a significant global public health challenge in terms of morbidity and mortality. 1 Acute poisoning cases are the second largest cause worldwide of morbidity, following road traffic accidents.…”

“…Chemical substances are extensively used in the medical, agricultural, and industrial fields. 2 Chemical poisoning is one of the major causes of admission to emergency rooms and hospitalization in both developed and developing countries. 5 The incidence of chemical poisoning varies by geographic region due to differences in socioeconomic status and other factors.…”

Observational Study on Poison Cases in a Tertiary Care Hospital

“…Analysis of age wise distribution showed the predominance of an adult population because of emotional and physical changes parental loss, domestic disputes and addiction. Followed by young (20-24) female were predominant because of divorce, breakdown in family relationships teen(10-19) comprised of 81(14%) of cases due to less marks in exams, school reports, dominative words by parents seniors(>60) consists of 53(10%) cases because of depression, ignored by their son/daughters and less number of cases were seen in child(0-9) contains 43(8%) accidental consumption were seen because of hyperactivity by the children and improper storage of the substances [3] Based on the cause of exposure of victims, suicidal poisoning comprised of (64%) accidental poisoning comprised 34% and occupational poisoning consists of 1%. Cause of suicidal poisoning were poverty, psychiatric illness, etc.…”

“…Among the other poisonings, medicine poison is considered as one of the important medical condition. It seems accidental poisoning in children with improper use of therapeutic drugs like over intake of tablets or because of the improper storage of the drugs by the elders [3]. The main reason for increasing incidences of poison was cheaper cost and easy accessibility of the hazardous chemicals plays one of the specific roles for the increasing rate of accidental and suicidal poisonings [4].…”