| Summary: | Introduction: Caustic ingestion that occurs accidently is one of the
most common problems in children. Methods: This systematic review has been performed by
searching the databases including Science Direct, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and PubMed. A
strategic search was performed with keywords including caustic, corrosive, ingestion, and
children, and was limited to articles in English and Persian. Data were analyzed using
Comprehensive Meta-Analysis2 and PASW Statistics 18. Results: We selected 64 articles
regarding caustic ingestion with a total sample of 11,345 cases. The data analysis indicated a
higher consumption in young boys (age range 2.78 (2.02) years (OR=0.53 with a 95% confidence
interval of 0.49-0.57 (P=0.08)). The most common caustic substances were household cleaning
agents, particularly bleaches and cleaners. Esophageal cancer and death were reported as well
as digestive and respiratory complications. Invasive and expensive techniques are frequently
used for diagnosis, treatment and follow up. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that
although caustic ingestion is a serious problem among children, it is a preventable and
manageable issue. Therefore, appropriate efforts by families, government, factories, health
team and media should be made to handle adequately this matter.
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