Acute Poisoning in Children Referred to Qazvin Children Hospital (2009 to 2012)

Background: Acute poisoning in children (APC) is a preventable cause of pediatric emergency visits. Patterns of acute poisoning in children are different in various regions and times. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology of acute poisoning in children, who were referred to the emergency department of Qods teaching hospital in Qazvin, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, all children younger than 13 years old, admitted to the Qods teaching hospital in Qazvin (Iran), were assessed during September 2009 to September 2012. Demographic and clinical symptoms and signs of poisoned cases, poisonous agents and outcome of patients were studied. Results: Four hundreds and thirty-four (2.59% of total hospital admission) patients with APC were admitted to the emergency department during the study period; 63.36% were male. Overall, 345 (79.5%) cases were under 6 years old. Drugs (265 cases) were common agents for APC. The ingestion route was responsible in 391 of APC. Methadone, benzodiazepines and kerosene were the most frequent poisonous agents. Neurologic symptoms and signs (256 cases) were the most common presentation of APC. Fortyfive patients (10.36%) were admitted to the PICU. Three deaths (%0.06) occurred with monoxide carbon and methadone poisoning. Monoxide carbon poisoning was the deadliest agent. Conclusions: Acute poisoning in children is a serious preventable cause of hospital admissions. It is one of the differential diagnoses in patients with sudden onset of neurological, alimentary, respiratory symptoms and signs, who are visited at the emergency department. Parental awareness and education about keeping potential poisoning agents safely is essential to reduce APC in chil-