Acute poisoning by pesticides: a prospective epidemiological study in a Spanish emergency service

Our results were obtained from patients aged 15 y and above treated for pesticide poisoning at the Emergency Service of Elche General Hospital in south Alicante province during 1989. Among other epidemiological parameters, we evaluated the hospital prevalence of this type of poisoning and obtained a prevalence rate of 0.17% of the total number of emergencies treated. The most frequent age group was between the ages of 45 and 54 y, the male to female ratio was 4:1 and there was a prevalence of married people. Professional accidental etiology was most common, and the lethal cases 5.1% were due to self-poisoning.