Pattern of acute poisoning in Jimma University Specialized Hospital, South West Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Poisoning is a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. People can be exposed to poisons either intentionally or accidentally. Designing appropriate treatment or prevention approaches depends on understanding of the nature and pattern of poisoning in a specific place. Information on the patterns of acute poisoning in Ethiopian hospitals is limited. This study was, therefore, conducted to evaluate the patterns of acute poisoning in Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH), South West Ethiopia. METHODS: A record based retrospective analysis of acute poisoning cases presented to JUSH from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013 was conducted. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 16. RESULTS: Of the 103 patients, 49 (47.6%) were male and 54 (52.4%) were female. The highest prevalence of poisoning was observed in persons aged 12-20 years (70, 67.96%). Majority of the cases were intentional poisoning (52, 50.5%), and 28 (27.2%) of the cases were accidental. The common causes of poisoning were house hold cleansing agents (43, 41.7%), organophosphates (28, 27.2%) and drugs (13, 12.6%). Diarrhea and vomiting (49.5%), altered consciousness (16.5%) and epigastric pain (13.6%) were the common presenting symptoms. CONCLUSION: Majority of the victims of the acute poisoning in this study were aged 12-20 years. The most common mode of poisoning was intentional poisoning resulting from temporary quarrel. The common poisons used by the victims were found to be household cleansing agents.