Fatal Poisoning and its Related Factors among Children Admitted in Loghman Hospital, 1995 -2004

Children are vulnerable to different sort of injuries, including poisoning which may have inevitable effects and even significant mortality among this group. The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of poisoning-related deaths in Loghman hospital in Tehran. It was an existing-data type study from March 1995 to March 2004; all intoxication fatalities of under 12 year-old subjects which had been occurred in Loghman hospital were reviewed. Demographic data were reviewed for each case via a questionnaire and reported with descriptive statistics. A total of 11150 childhood severe poisonings were hospitalized during this period, of which 37 (0.33%) died. 32.4% were dead on arrival time. Male to female ratio was 1.2/1. The majority of fatalities occurred in children aged 1-4 years (59.1%). Their mean age was 4.3±3.5 years old. All poisonings happened accidentally. Thirty (81%) of exposures were via ingestion and most of them were in summer (37.8%). Most of deaths had not occured in Tehran but in rural areas or other cities and 35% reffered to hospital with more than 6 hours delay. Hydrocarbons were the most common cause of mortality (27%) followed by carbon monoxide, poisonous mushrooms and opium (10.8% for each of them), organophosphates pesticides and botulism (co-ingested with rice tablet) (8% for each), mercury vapor (5.4%) and scorpion stin and corrosive acid ingestion (2.7% for each) and 13.5% were other drugs. Our study points out the need to proper management of childhood dangerous poisoning like hydrocarbons, opium, organophosphates, etc. We also have to bear in mind that the prevention is an important issue