Childhood poisoning is a major cause of morbidity in both developing and developed countries. In spite of the success of some interventions to prevent accidental poisoning in the pediatric population, toxic ingestions continue to be a common occurrence. This aim of this study was to identify the incidence rate and determinants of acute poisoning among children (1-60 months old) who were admitted to the Poisoning Unit of a university hospital in Egypt. A study was conducted in the period from July 2011 until May 2012 at the poisoning unit of a university hospital. The studied children were from both rural and urban areas, were a mix of boys and girls, did not suffer from any mental disabilities, were aged between 1 month old to 60 months old, and were of Egyptian nationality. Data was collected by using a clinical examination form and a questionnaire. All parents/carers of the studied children were interviewed as well. Clinical assessment of the children included: general health conditions; AVPU (alert, respond to verbal stimuli, respond to painful stimuli, unconsciousness); and clinical examinations. The findings of the study demonstrated that 18.5% of total admissions were children (1-60 months old), 62.5% were males, 83.3% did not attend nursery, 79.9% were from urban areas, 33% of mothers were illiterate, and 60.2% of poisonings were due to household products. Kerosene alone was implicated in 24.3% of all cases; 37.4% of cases took place in the kitchen; 47.4% of cases were poisoned during the period between 8am and 4pm, and 65.4% reached the poisoning unit within 2 to 4 hours of accidental poisoning. Risk factors among the studied children were ordered by stepwise regression analysis as the following: non employed mothers; children who did not attend nursery; children of the male gender; and the education and literacy level of their mothers. Effective health promotion programs for parents and carers regarding poisoning hazards are needed to increase awareness and reduce the incidence of poisoning among children.

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