Acute Poisonings, Suicidality and Systemic Inflammatory Load in Pregnant Women

Pregnancy can be challenging for women in various manners and can boost the risk of intentional self-poisonings. The aim of the study is to evaluate the occurrence and clinical characteristics of poisonings and the relationship between suicidal tendency and increased systemic inflammatory load during pregnancy.

This study was performed in a tertiary hospital emergency department using 10 years of data. The study covered 69 female individuals, 35 pregnant and 34 non-pregnant, with acute poisoning diagnoses. The cases' sociodemographic and clinical features, as well as routine blood results, were evaluated. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) markers were calculated to assess systemic inflammatory load.

The intentional suicide rate in pregnant women was 85.71% (n = 30). Pregnant individuals had significantly higher PLR (P < .001) and NLR (P = .001) levels compared to the control group. The NLR values in intentional poisonings and the PLR in accidental poisonings were found to be proportionally higher, but the difference between both groups was not statistically significant (P = .448 and P = .701, respectively).

The vast majority of acute poisonings in pregnant women were intentional. Although the inflammatory burden values were significantly higher in pregnant women than in controls, there was not enough strong evidence to establish a link between increased inflammatory burden and suicidal tendencies in pregnant women.