The epidemiology of childhood poisonings in Cyprus

Abstract

Information on childhood poisonings in Cyprus is limited. Our objective was to examine the epidemiology of poisonings among children in Cyprus. All children up to 15 years of age admitted for poisoning to the Archbishop Makarios Hospital in Nicosia, Cyprus between 2005 and 2008 were included in our study. All hospital poisoning records were reviewed. A total of 257 children were admitted for poisoning. The mean age of children was 3.1 years, of which 83.7% were below the age of 5 years old, while 53% were boys. The poisoning hospitalizations accounted for about 3% of all admissions to the pediatric department during the study period (4 years). The annual cumulative incidence of childhood poisoning hospitalizations was 116 per 100,000 children. Medications accounted for 46.1% of all poisonings, the most frequent cause being paracetamol (9.8%), cardiovascular medications (5.3%), antitussive medications (4.5%), and other painkillers (4.1%). Another 37.6% of hospitalizations involved household products such as household cleaning products (11.8%), petroleum products (11.0%), and rodenticides (5.7%). Among children who ingested petroleum distillates, 55.6% developed clinical symptomatology. The vast majority of cases were accidental (93.8%). Suicidal cases involved children 8-14 years old, mainly girls, and the most frequent poisoning ingested was paracetamol (46.7%). Poisoning hospitalizations represent an important cause of morbidity among children in Cyprus. Preventive strategies should include the education of caregivers on the handling of medications and household products as well as legislation requiring child-resistant packaging for all medications and household products including petroleum distillates.

Acute Poisoning in Children Referred to Qazvin Children Hospital (2009 to 2012)

“…Similar results were reported by other studies (14). Toddlers have a desire to put different substances including poisonous agents in their mouths and try to explore the world with their mouth.…”

“…Similar rate for hospital admission in APC was reported by another study (14). However, the hospital admission rate was 6.3% in a study in Shiraz during 2008 to 2013 that was higher than the present study (2).…”

“…The same male/female ratio (1.5/1) was reported in another study (8). Male predominance in poisoned children less than four years old was also reported (14). This was probably because boys are more active and curious than girls.…”

The changing trends of childhood poisoning at a tertiary children’s hospital in South Africa

“…7,9,10,[16][17][18] The growth in the number of pesticide incidents since 1987 is alarming with marked morbidity and mortality demanding advanced resources. 7,8 Incidents due to household cleaning products have grown over 20 years, but are possibly reaching a plateau.…”

Hospital Based Study of Poisoning Among Children, 1 to 18 Years of Age in Eastern Nepal

“…There are various studies sugges ve of incidence rate of poisoning in children [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ranging from 0.74% to 3%. In older children poisoning is usually inten onal whereas in infants and younger children it 10,11,12 is accidental in nature.…”