Accidental poisoning in children

Objective: Accidental poisoning is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children all over the World.(1,2,3) The importance of this problem lies in its nature of being preventable. The objective is to find the profile of cases of accidental poisoning in children and the common causative agents used, types of presentation, treatment and the outcome. Methods: This is a retrospective study for all those who were admitted to Al-Fateh Children's hospital (Benghazi-Libya) in one year (1st Dec 1994-1st Dec 1995). Results: A total of 226 cases (constituting 2.3% of the total admissions) were admitted to hospital suffering from accidental poisoning. The peak age affected was 1-4 year (n=161,71.2%). The male to female ratio was 1.2:1. The most common causative substance was kerosene (n=82, 36.3%), followed by organophosphorous compounds (n=23, 10.2%), and psychoactive drugs (n=21,9.29%) mainly Tricyclics. Unknown drugs contributed to 21 cases (9.29%). The most common presenting symptoms and/or signs were respiratory (n=160, 70.8%), specially cough (n=60), followed by gastro-intestinal (n=140, 61.9%), mainly vomiting (n=114), and finally neurological (n=98 43.4%), specially drowsiness (n=48). The average hospital stay was 2.62 days. With the exception of cine death (0.4%), Recovery was uneventful in all cases, however, follow up was needed in 38 cases (16.8%). Conclusion: Accidental poisoning is still causing morbidity, distress and economic loss. Among the recommendations, health education for parents about how to keep drugs and chemicals out of the reach of children, and the necessity to establish a specialized national center for poisoning is emphasized.