A REPORT OF CHILDHOOD POISONING IN BABOL

Poisoning is a well-known cause of morbidity and mortality in children. This study was done to evaluate the pattern of acute poisoning in children in relation to different age groupings. Pediatric patients hospitalized for acute poisoning at the Amirkola Childrenʹs Hospital, Babol, Iran, over a 6- year period (1995 – 2001) were evaluated prospectively. A special attention was given to poisoning in relation to different age groupings. During the 6-year period, the poisoning cases increased from 18 to 98 (7% vs. 37.5%). Eighty-one percent of children were younger than 6 years of age and had a benign course. The majority of cases occurred in children aged 2 to 6 years. Males under the age of 13 years had a higher frequency of poisoning. Drugs were the most common agents of poisoning in children (31.6%), followed by hydrocarbon chemicals such as kerosene (31.2%). The most frequently implicated drugs were benzodiazepines (17.1%). Poisoning in children less than 2 years old was 37%. They were mostly accidental (82.3%) and the majority of them occurred in summer (34.6%). The highest rate of occurrence of poisoning was recorded between 4 and 8 PM (62%). Acute poisoning in children remains a frequent problem, highlighting the need to develop an education program on primary prevention in our region. Parental education and intensified child supervision are the indicated measures of prevention for unintentional poisoning.