Poisoning in Northern India: Changing Trends, Causes and Prevention Thereof

Abstract

A twenty-one years retrospective study (1980-2000) of acute poisoning deaths carried out at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu and Gov't. Medical College Hospital, Chandigarh--the two demographically different zones of Northern India. Union Territory of Chandigarh, which is the capital of Punjab and Haryana states, is one of the most developed parts of India, whereas Jammu primarily represents the rural India. The study is an attempt to analyze the various changing trends in acute poisoning in these zones with the aim that it will help immensely the health policy-makers to equip health care institutions accordingly. The present study reveals a steep increase in the number of acute poisoning cases and a change in the trends of the most commonly used poisons with the passage of time. Males outnumbered females and youth formed the majority of fatalities. The main victims were unemployed youth and students, followed by agricultural and domestic workers. Despite India's predominantly rural character, the urban preponderance of deaths by poisoning may reflect the role of leading a more stressful life in urban areas.

Acute Poisonings Admitted to a Tertiary Level Intensive Care Unit in Northern India: Patient Profile and Outcomes

“…In a developing country like India poisoning is a major health problem, though the type of poison and the associated morbidity and mortality varies from one place to another [4,5]. Suicidal poisoning with house-hold agents (OPs, carbamates, pyrethrinoids, etc.)…”

“…In our study a total of 12 patients died in the two year period and mortality rate was 18%. Prajapati, Unikrishnan, Boukatta et al, and Cengiz et al, documented mortality rates from acute poisonings as 18.6%, 15.7%, 10.9% and 5.8% respectively [5,25,28,29].…”

Death due to Poisoning - a Medicolegal Study at Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka

“…Another study from Rohtak, India in 1993-1994 analyzed 559 cases of poisoning [22][23] and Aluminium Phosphide was found to be the most common poison. According to National Crime Records Bureau India, every 5 minutes a person commits suicide and 7 attempts to kill themselves, forming about 1,00,000 death per year 24 .…”

Poisoning deaths in China: Type and prevalence detected at the Tongji Forensic Medical Center in Hubei

“…Of deaths due to alcohols, males were predominated with a ratio of 5.8:1. The difference between incidences of poisonings was described in many relative reports from different countries [8,[17][18][19][20][21][22]25]. This difference may reflect the diversity of vocational contact, living habit and selective mode between men and women.…”