Epidemiological Trends of Acute Chemical Poisoning among Children over a Recent Three-Year Period in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Acute intoxication from chemicals is a major medical emergency that can result in illness and mortality. This retrospective study aims to evaluate acute chemical poisoning incidents among children in Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2021. A total of 3009 children were recorded as being chemically intoxicated. The SPSS/PC statistics package was used for the statistical analysis. The acute chemical poisoning incidents that occurred in the age groups were <1 year: 237 (7.8%), 1–5 years: 2301 (76.4%), 6–12 years: 214 (7.1%), and 13–19 years: 257 (8.5%). The mean rate of acute chemical poisoning in the northern region was 40.1%. The most common poisonous agents were organic solvents (20.4%) and disinfection agents (22.7%). Interestingly, there is a significant relationship between the different types of acute chemical poisoning and various factors, including gender, age, the location where acute chemical intoxication occurred, the type of exposure, and whether these were intentional or unintentional events. The data suggest that the northern region of Saudi Arabia has had the highest number of recorded incidents of acute chemical poisoning over the last three years (2019–2021). Individuals between 1–5 years old were the worst hit. Organic solvents and detergents were to blame for the acute unintentional chemical poisonings that took place in homes. Therefore, educating the public about chemical poisoning and reducing children’s exposure to toxic chemicals requires educational programs, which may help to reduce chemical poisoning occurrence.

The burden of poisoning in children hospitalised at a tertiary-level hospital in South Africa

“…The study showed that one in every 25 children hospitalised at a large tertiary-level hospital in South Africa are poisoned, a third from organic solvents (such as paraffin) and medications, respectively, and alarmingly a further 18% from pesticides. Furthermore, 56 (2.1%) children demised from poisoning which is four-fold higher than the 0.5% reported in high-income countries (13). The mortality rate for children with pesticide poisoning was also more than double in the study.…”

“…In our study, pesticides, including organophosphates were a common (18%) cause of poisoning. Ingestion of pesticides may occur accidentally in young children who have an increased hand to mouth activity and exploring their surroundings -this is particularly relevant in our setting where these pesticides are used to curb rodent infestation (6,13). Pesticides could also be used for intentional poisoning, particularly among adolescents (18).…”

“…Our study is similar to previous studies in which children with paraffin poisoning have a short hospital stay (median: 1 day; IQR:1-4) and low mortality rate of 0.2%. Younger children are more likely to accidentally ingest paraffin from their inability to recognise it as unsafe (13). Therefore, educational programmes in LMICs need to focus on labelling of paraffin, child proof lids and storage in safe places that are inaccessible to young children.…”