Methadone Poisoning in Children Hospitalized in Mashhad Imam Reza Hospital, 2012- 2013

Background and Opioid toxicity is a major problem in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate acute methadone toxicity in children admitted to hospital and identifying different patterns of this toxicity in children.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in 79 patients admitted to children emergency department in Mashhad Imam Reza Hospital whose methadone toxicity had been proved by urine analysis. The subjects were selected using convenient sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used consisting of child information. Data was analyzed applying T-Test, Chi-Square, Pearson correlation, Mann-Whitney, and Fisher's exact test.
The mean age of patients was 5±3.25 years old. The time elapsed since ingestion was 55 min. The common signs and symptoms were drowsiness (92.4%), bradypnea (83.5%), meiotic pupil (64.6%), vomiting (63.3%), and itching (43%). The most common laboratory findings included leukocytosis (41.9%), metabolic acidosis (30.7%), increased CRP (28.6%), hyperglycemia (11.7%), and hyponatremia (4%).
In order to reduce the incidence of methadone poisoning, addiction treatment centers are ought to provide their clients with appropriate trainings to prevent misuse of methadone, storage of methadone, and a fast referral to health centers in case of poisoning.