Acute Poisoning in children in Chengdu, China: A Retrospective Study (2019- 2022)

Abstract

Understanding the characteristics of children with acute poisoning admitted to emergency departments is helpful to the pediatrician to identify and treat poisoning. This retrospective and descriptive study included 2036 cases aged from 0-14years admitted to the emergency department with a diagnosis of acute poisoning. The incidence was slightly higher in boys than girls (51.2% vs. 48.8%). The most common route of poisoning was the digestive system (99.3%), and the majority were accidental poisonings (92.7%). Drugs were the most common toxic substances (62.1%), followed by pesticides (12.4%) and household cleaners (8.8%). The proportion of toxic substances varied among different age groups, with household cleaners being the most common in infants, and pesticides in other age groups, excluding drugs. Young children accounted for most acute poisoning cases, mostly due to unintentional ingestion of a single substance. Female adolescents were the most common patients intentionally ingested toxic substances, mainly psychotropic drugs.