[Antipyretic poisoning]

To establish the current incidence of poisoning caused by oral antipyretics in the Spanish pediatric population.

From January 1998 to December 2000, all cases of poisoning due to antipyretic ingestion in children aged up to 14 years old were recorded and tabulated in the Poison Control Center.

A total of 13,044 cases of drug poisoning were recorded. Acetaminophen accounted for 11.0 %, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for 3 % and ibuprofen for 1.5 % of the cases (p < 0.001). The risk of acetaminophen poisoning was 5.6 higher than that of ibuprofen poisoning (RR: 5.6; 95 % CI: 4.8-6.5). Seventy three percent of poisonings occurred in children aged 1-3 years old. Poisonings were considered serious in 9.4 % of those produced by acetaminophen, 2 % of those produced by ASA and 1 % of those produced by ibuprofen (p < 0.001). Information from the Poison Control Center were requested mainly by emergency department physicians (78.9 %), followed by pediatricians (15.4 %), other physicians (4.7 %) and nursing staff (1 %).

Because of their frequency and potential toxicity, drug and household product poisonings in childhood are a significant public health problem. Among the antipyretics evaluated, acetaminophen was the most frequently associated with poisoning and with severe intoxications. We recommend several preventive strategies to reduce the incidence of drug poisoning in childhood.