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[Caustic ingestion: health impact of a social disease]
C Arroyo Mansera1, S Fernández Ferrandis, I Cano Novillo
1Servicio de Cirugía Pediátrica, Hospital Doce de Octubre, Madrid.
Insights
Accidental caustic ingestion in children, particularly those under three, remains a significant concern. Prevention through parental education and stricter product control is crucial to reduce childhood injuries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Context:
- Caustic ingestion is a serious childhood accident.
- The study period was 1987-1994, involving 137 children under 14.
- Seventy-five percent of cases involved children under three years old.
Purpose:
- To analyze the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of caustic ingestion in children.
- To identify risk factors and complications associated with caustic ingestion.
- To recommend preventive strategies for childhood caustic ingestion.
Summary:
- Early esophagogastroscopy is key for classifying caustic burns.
- Esophago-gastric damage occurred in 45.3% of cases, often linked to industrial strong bases.
- Esophageal strictures developed in 17.5% of patients, correlating with initial injury severity.
Impact:
- Caustic ingestion leads to significant healthcare costs due to prolonged hospital stays.
- Preventive measures, including parental education and stricter product control, are essential.
- Reducing the incidence of these accidents can improve child safety and lower healthcare burdens.
Patients And Methods:
A total of 137 children less than 14 years of age were studied for caustic ingestion in the period 1987-1994. Seventy-five percent of the children affected were less than 3 years old. All ingestions but one, were accidental. The incidence rate of caustic ingestion did not decrease significantly during the period studied.
Results:
Early esophagogastroscopy was the method of choice for the classification of caustic burns. Esophago-gastric damage occurred in 62 cases (45.3%), and was most frequently related to strong bases included in cleaners used in industry. Ingestion of household cleaners is associated with a good prognosis. The development of esophageal stricture was closely related to the severity of the initial injury. This occurred in 24 patients (17.5%). Prolonged hospital stay was necessary in order to treat adequately these patients. This means an elevated cost, estimated at 1,036,496 pesetas per patient, to the Health Care System.
Conclusions:
To minimize the frequency of this kind of childhood accident, an information campaign directed especially to parents is recommended. Furthermore, strict control concerning the commercialization and storage of these products is mandatory.