A Cross-Sectional Study of Acute Poisoning Cases Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Mangaluru, Karnataka, India

Abstract

Introduction: A poison is a substance that causes serious illness and endangers the life of a person when ingested in a relatively small quantity. Poisoning is one of the most common problems encountered in day-to-day clinical practice. Poisoning causes morbidity and mortality which can be prevented and managed if clinicians are sensitized with adequate knowledge of common poisons. Therefore, this study was conducted to know the profile of acute poisoning cases admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Mangaluru. Materials and Methods: 100 patients admitted in the intensive care units and wards of the General Medicine department, Kasturba Medical College, Mangaluru, and Government Wenlock District Hospital, Mangaluru with various poisoning were evaluated for various factors like the distribution of poisoning cases according to age, gender, intention of poisoning, nature of poisons consumed and the nature of treatment received at another hospital before getting admitted. Results: Most of the cases of poisoning occurred in the age group between 21-30 years of age (38%). The majority of the patients in the study were males (60%) and females formed 40% of the study population. The majority of patients in this study (99%) consumed poison with suicidal intention. 77% of patients received first-aid treatment in a peripheral hospital before getting admitted to our hospital. Conclusion: This study shows that the peak incidence of acute poisoning cases was seen in the age group of 21 to 30 years with male predominance. The pattern of poisoning was suicidal in the majority of the patients.

Keywords

• acute poisoning
• toxicology
• suicidal intent
• pesticides
• agriculture