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Pediatric poisonings in southeast of Turkey: epidemiological and clinical aspects

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

M Davutoglu

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

M Bosnak

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

M Tutanc

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Room, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

K Haspolat

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Room, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

Current detailed information about the causes, management, and clinical course of acute childhood poisonings in Turkey is scarce. Therefore, we have conducted a descriptive study of children presenting with acute poisoning to the pediatric emergency department of Dicle University Hospital throughout an 8-month period. Two hundred unselected children with poisoning were evaluated in terms of clinical, epidemiological and socioeconomic aspects. The mean age of patients was 5.7 ± 4.0 years. The majority of the patients (n = 108, 54%) were aged from 13 months to 4 years (P < 0.05). In majority of patients (66.5%, n = 133), poisonings were accidental. Intentional poisonings accounted for 3.5% (n = 7) and food poisoning accounted for 30% (n = 60) of all cases. The families had more than three children in 129 (97%) of accidentally poisoned and in seven (100%) of intentionally poisoned patients, six were girls and one was a boy. The parents of most patients were uneducated. Furthermore, more than two third of families had low level of income. In all, 171 patients (85.5%) were discharged after an observation period of 24 h. Four patients died. In conclusion, factors such as low educational level of parents, presence of more than three children in the family, and low income increase the incidence of childhood poisonings. The low educational level of girls increases the incidence of intentional poisoning.

Key Words: children • etiology • management • poisoning

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