Accidental poisoning in children: a single centre case series study in Bangladesh

Abstract

BackgroundAccidental poisoning is a leading cause of unintentional injuries among children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). The overall aspect of this unintentional poisoning is poorly understood in Bangladesh. The objectives of this study were (1) to explore the socio-demographic factors and circumstantial context of accidental poisoning and (2) the prevalence of the type of substances causing it.MethodsA descriptive case series study was conducted from April 2019 to February 2020 at a tertiary level hospital of the capital city Dhaka in Bangladesh. Children under 10 years of age admitted to the hospital with accidental poisoning were enrolled in this study. Parents of hospitalised children were interviewed face-to-face using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.ResultsA total of 223 children were recruited in this study. Children between 2 and 5 years (60%), men (61%) and children with agility (65.5%) were among the prevalent victims. The majority of cases occurred (65%) in a nuclear family setting. Most mothers (85%) of these children were non-working and most incidents took place in parents’ homes (~82%). Nearly 70% of the poisoning incidents took place in the presence of parents and over half of these occurred in the bedroom. Kerosene was the prevalent cause (33%) of accidental poisoning while insecticide/pesticide ranked second (26.5%) followed by medicines (17%) and household chemicals (12). In one-third (31.4%) of the cases, poisoning chemicals were stored in soft drink bottles while two-thirds (67.3%) of the cases were kept in containers other than original ones. Although over 80 parents somewhat knew that chemicals could be harmful to the children if ingested, most of them did not take the safety measures.ConclusionIn this present study we found that preschool-aged children were more victims of accidental poisoning mostly by ingesting kerosene and a majority of the incidents took place in the bedroom while parents were present at home. Our study findings would serve as a baseline for designing future intervention studies and policies.

Accidental kerosene oil ingestion in under-five age children in Nigeria – The need for vigilance in primary care settings in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

“…[ 6 ] Economic hardship leads to overcrowded living with limited storage space for toxic substances away from the reach of young children. This is most frequent in male toddlers,[ 1 2 3 4 5 ] and poverty, parental ignorance, and poor supervision fuel the childhood ingestion of poisons,[ 7 8 ] as was evident in all four cases.…”

Trends in mortality related to unintentional poisoning in the South Asian region from 1990 to 2019: analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study

“…More than 90% of the unintentional poisoning-related deaths occur in lower middle-income countries (LMICs) 8 with a greater proportion of deaths in children. 9 10 Socioeconomic patterns, new development of drugs (opioids and psychotropics) and substances (domestic fuels, halogenated hydrocarbons and other solvents), agricultural modernisation, green revolution in various regions, and easy access to over-the-counter (OTC) drugs 11–14 have been noted as some reasons underlying the higher rates of poisonings in LMICs. In addition, carbon monoxide exposure is frequent in LMICs as a result of fuels emitted by autos, stoves and furnaces, all of which are widely used and pose substantial health risks.…”

Nurses’ Knowledge and Practice toward Children with Accidental Poisoning in Zagazig Poison Control Centers

“…Poisoning is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality as an unintentional injury all over the world (Ahmed et al, 2022). Due to a lack of information and prevention strategies, lowincome and middle-income nations are lagging behind high-income countries in the reduction of poisoning events (Filippelli et al, 2020; Ahmed et al, 2022).This distinction can be attributable to the prompt and appropriate handling of poisoning cases, population awareness, preventive actions, and regulatory legislation (Filippelli et al, 2020).…”

“…Poisoning is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality as an unintentional injury all over the world (Ahmed et al, 2022). Due to a lack of information and prevention strategies, lowincome and middle-income nations are lagging behind high-income countries in the reduction of poisoning events (Filippelli et al, 2020; Ahmed et al, 2022).This distinction can be attributable to the prompt and appropriate handling of poisoning cases, population awareness, preventive actions, and regulatory legislation (Filippelli et al, 2020). Poisoning is define as a term used to describe an occurrence in which toxic substances reach the body through the mouth, blood vessels, food, or injections, causing the death and destruction of the body's cells (Shahkolai et al, 2019; Saad, Abo El-Ata, & Abdu El-kader, 2021).…”

“…About 80% of these fatalities take place in developing and middleincome nations. Ten percent of all unintentional injuries to children in low-and middle-income nations are caused by accidental poisoning (Mew et al, 2017; Ahmed et al, 2022).…”