Organophosphorus poisoning: victim specific analysis of mortality and morbidity

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of acute organophosphorous (OP) poisoning cases including death, duration of hospitalization and time lapse before arrival at hospital. All OP poisoning cases admitted to the Emergency Department of MKCG Medical College Hospital and other fatal cases received at the mortuary between September 1999 and August 2001 were prospectively studied. Males outnumbered females and most OP poisoning occurred in the 21-30 year age group. In 68 (97.1%) cases the motive was suicide and more than 80% were from rural areas. Nearly one-third of cases occurred during the summer and in the later part of the day. Married females and unmarried males were most frequently affected. Most of the married females were housewives and the males were students or farmers. Fifty-four per cent of cases were admitted for treatment within three hours with a mean time lapse of 6.2 hours. The mean hospital stay for all OP poisoning cases was 5.1 days. Twenty-nine out of 66 admitted OP poisoning cases were fatal. There is a high incidence of OP poisoning with mortality in the region. OP compounds are readily available at low cost in the market. A time of stress and frustration can lead to their use as a common poison with which to commit suicide.