Epidemiological Study of Acute Unintentional Poisoning Among Children in Iran

Fariba Tarhani1, Alireza Nezami1, Ghobad Heidari1

  • 1Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.

Drug Research
|May 23, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Medication poisoning, primarily from methadone, is the leading cause of acute poisoning in children. Age is a significant factor, but gender is not associated with poisoning type.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Toxicology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Early diagnosis and understanding poisoning causes are crucial for effective treatment in children.
  • Acute poisoning presents a significant health concern in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the epidemiological factors contributing to acute poisoning in children.
  • To identify common causes and associated risk factors for pediatric poisoning.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective descriptive study analyzing data from 336 children treated for acute poisoning between 2010-2019.
  • Data extracted from the Electronic Medical Record system included demographics, poisoning type, clinical findings, and outcomes.

Main Results:

  • The most frequent age group affected was 5 years and under (69.6%), with a mean age of 4.90±3.27 years.
  • Medication poisoning, predominantly methadone, accounted for 60.6% of cases.
  • A significant correlation was found between child's age and poisoning type (p=0.001), as well as between parental education, ICU admission, and poisoning type (p=0.001). No significant gender correlation was observed.

Conclusions:

  • Pharmacological drugs, particularly methadone, are the primary cause of acute poisoning in the studied pediatric population.
  • Childhood age is a significant risk factor for specific types of poisoning, while gender does not appear to be a differentiating factor.

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