Profile of Acute Poisoning and Its Outcome in Children Admitted to a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northeast India: A Cohort Study
Introduction: Acute poisoning in children is an important public health problem. It is a significant paediatric emergency in both developing and developed countries, leading to preventable morbidity and mortality. While there is substantial research literature on acute childhood poisoning from d...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/18930/65454_CE[Ra1]_F(SL)_QC(KK_VI_IS)_PF1(AKA_OM)_PFA_NC(AKA_KM)_PN(KM).pdf |
| Summary: | Introduction: Acute poisoning in children is an important public
health problem. It is a significant paediatric emergency in both
developing and developed countries, leading to preventable
morbidity and mortality. While there is substantial research
literature on acute childhood poisoning from developed countries,
there is a lack of data from developing countries like India due to
inadequate and poor surveillance of poisoning-related data.
Aim: To investigate the clinical and epidemiological profile, as
well as the outcome, of acute poisoning in children admitted to
the paediatric emergency department of a tertiary care hospital
in Northeast India.
Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was
conducted in the Paediatrics department of Assam Medical
College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India, from April 1,
2021, to March 31, 2022. All children under the age of 12 years
who presented to the paediatric department with a history of
exposure to toxic substances were included in the study. The
admitted children were assessed in terms of demographic
variables, type of poison, route of poisoning, time of presentation,
circumstances of poisoning, storage place of poison, clinical
presentation, and interventions provided. Data were presented
as mean and frequency.
Results: A total of 78 children under 12 years of age were enrolled
in the study, with a mean age of three years and three months at
presentation. The majority of cases (96.2%) involved accidental
poisoning, while a small proportion (3.8%) was due to suicidal
poisoning. Of the two reported cases of suicidal poisoning, one
involved a male child and the other involved a female child.
Both children were above six years of age. The most common
causes of poisoning were kerosene (34.6%), organophosphorus
compounds (10.3%), and liquid mosquito repellents (9.1%).
Conclusion: This study revealed both unintentional and intentional
poisoning cases, with a high prevalence of accidental poisoning
observed in children below three years of age. Kerosene was
identified as the most common cause of childhood poisoning. |
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| ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |