[Emergency department visits for poisoning: epidemiological changes in the last 10 years]

To study the epidemiological changes observed in pediatric poisonings treated in our Emergency Department between 1988 and 1999.

Descriptive, observational study performed in three 12-month periods (1988, 1993 and 1999). The circumstances surrounding the visit, treatment in the Emergency Department and clinical evolution were registered.

Consultations for possible poisoning decreased between 1988 and 1999 (279 vs. 161, p 0). This decrease was noted both in poisonings caused by household products (91 vs. 48, -47 %) and those caused by drugs (112 vs. 87, -22 %). Antipyretics caused one-third of drug poisonings and psychotropics caused approximately 11 %. The most commonly implicated agent is currently paracetamol. Caustic alkali were the most common household products causing poisoning although the number of such poisonings decreased (48 episodes in 1988 and 18 in 1999). Hydrocarbons were the second most frequent cause of household product poisoning (12-16/year). Most episodes occurred at home. The poison, mainly household products, was kept in a container other than the original in nearly 5 % of episodes in 1988 and in 13.7 % in 1999. The number of children receiving treatment in the Emergency Department decreased between 1988 and 1993 and remained stable between 1993 and 1999 (62 % in 1988 and approximately 35 % in 1993 and 1999; p 0.000003). The number of admissions also decreased from 17 children in 1989 (6.0 %) to six in 1999 (3.7 %, p 0.39). No deaths were recorded.

In the last ten years, visits for possible episodes of pediatric poisoning have decreased, mainly those due to mild poisoning caused by household products. Paracetamol has replaced acetyl-salicylic acid as the most frequently implicated drug.