Prevalence and characteristics of poisoning calls/cases in Saudi Arabia: a single-center experience from a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Objectives Poison centers (PCs) are few in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to describe the poisoning pattern among exposures reported at the specialized PC of a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Methods A retrospective study was conducted to review all cases of acute poisoning reported at the PC specialized call center from January 2013 to June 2021.Results A total of 2168 exposures were documented, the majority of which occurred at home (n = 2090, 96.4%) and were accidental in nature (n = 1739, 80.2%) Ingestion was the most common route of exposure (n = 2026, 93.4%). Children less than five years old registered the highest number of cases (n = 1508, 69.6%) and pharmaceuticals (n = 1485, 68.5%) were the most common substance reported in poisoning cases.Conclusion In this retrospective study spanning 8.5 years, a snapshot of poisoning cases has been documented. While the study cannot be generalized throughout Saudi Arabia, it is apparent that public health awareness on the prevention of poisoning cases is warranted as the data suggests significant underestimation. A specialized call center should be made available to the public and a more comprehensive documentation of cases to include outcomes of management may provide compelling evidence to establish a national PC.

Keywords

• Exposure
• acute poisoning
• toxicovigilance
• retrospective
• poison center
• Saudi Arabia