Morbidity, Mortality and Management of Wheat Pill Poisoning

Background:Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. People adopt different ways to commit suicide. Methods:We enrolled 50 patients presenting to emergency department, Mayo Hospital, Lahore with intake of wheat pills with suicidal intention. The end point was death, discharge or leaving hospital against medical advice. The study was designed to know the effects of wheat pill on various systems of the body and its outcome. Results:Of the total 50 patients studied, 28 (56%) were males and 22 (44%) were females. 35 (70%) patients died, 8 (16%) were discharged and 7 (14%) left against medical advice. Wheat pill containing Aluminium Phosphide is easily available, cheap and without any ban on its sale. General awareness about the lethal effects of its ingestion should be created among masses and efforts be made to impose legal restrictions on its sale. Conclusion:It can be concluded that wheat pill poisoning is becoming very common as a mode of committing suicide. Since wheat pill is highly toxic, mortality is significantly higher and painful. Wheat pill is freely available and very cheap so awareness should be created among rural areas and urban peripheries regarding its toxicity and high mortality. A legal ban should be imposed on its over the counter sales. Its possession should be authorized to personnel trained in proper storage and dispensing.