Accidental Drug Poisoning

Objective: To study the accidental drug poisoning. Design: A retrospective study. Setting: Prince Rashid Ben Al- Hassan Hospital- Northern Jordan. Method: Children with accidental drug poisoning, who were admitted to Prince Rashid Hospital from January 2001 to January 2005. Result: Fifty-nine children have been enrolled in the study; thirty-six (61%) were male. Thirty-two (54%) of children belong to the age group of 1-4 years. Twenty-nine (49%) children had ingested miscellaneous drugs, 15 (26%) anticonvulsant drugs, 5 (8%) antipsychotic drugs, and 6 (10%) children had ingested drugs for local use and 4 (7%) unknown. In 5 (8%) children the drug had been ingested due to unidentified identity. In 2 (3%) the drug was given by mistake to the child. Eighty-eight percent of drug ingestion took place at homes. Lack of supervision at the time of ingestion was noted in 52 (89%) of cases. Drowsiness was the most common presenting features (24%). Gastric lavage was done in 27 (46%) children. Conclusion: - Drug poisoning is still a major health problem in our community. Family should be aware of the problem and health professionals should participate in preventive measures. This study emphasizes the need for establishment of poison control centers all over the country.