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A Prospective Study of 1212 Cases of Acute Poisoning: General Epidemiology

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Central Laboratory, Medical Departments 71, 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

P.S. Frederichsen

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Central Laboratory, Medical Departments 7 Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

K.M. Knutsen

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Central Laboratory, Medical Departments 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

Y. Sørum

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Central Laboratory, Medical Departments 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

T. Talseth

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Central Laboratory, Medical Departments 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

O.R. Ødegaard

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Central Laboratory, Medical Departments 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

1 A prospective multicentre study of all acute poisonings among adults admitted to hospital (n = 1145) or dying outside hospital (n = 67) in Oslo was performed during 1980.

2 Of the 1212 episodes, 98.3% were self-poisonings, giving an annual incidence of 2.8 per 1000 inhabitants (%o), 3.1 in males and 2.6 in females.

3 The main toxic agents among the self-poisoned patients were ethanol (19.7%), benzodiazepines (17.8%), opiates (14.9%), neuroleptics (10.4%) and antidepressants (9.3%). In 58.9% of the episodes more than one toxic agent was taken.

4 Abuse among the self-poisoned patients was significantly (p < 0.005) more common among males than females (64.2 v. 34.5%).

5 The rate of suicide attempts was significantly (p < 0.005) higher among females than males (20.2 v. 12.9%), females showing increasing rate with age. However, when excluding abusers the rate of suicide attempts was similar in both sexes (27.6 v. 25.0%).

6 Compared to a reference population self-poisonings were most common in the lower middle and the lowest social classes. Patients in these social classes, however, showed a lower rate of suicide attempts than those in the two highest social classes.

7 Overall mortality was 6.0% (n = 73), but 91.8% of all deaths occurred outside hospital indicating the importance of including these figures when self-poisonings are studied.

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 3, No. 2, 93-106 (1984)
DOI: 10.1177/096032718400300203


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