Epidemiology of Accidental Poisoning of Children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

A study was carried out to determine the incidence of accidental poisoning in children admitted to Riyadh Governmental Hospitals during 1988. Drugs were the most common poisoning agent and accounted for 52% of all cases. Kerosene poisoning and ingestion of household cleansers accounted for 46% of the cases, and ingestion of plants represented 2% of cases. Most of the poisoning incidents occurred in children who were 1 to 2 years of age. Our findings indicate that improved living conditions, proper storage of drugs and chemicals, and health education of parents will help to reduce the incidence of poisoning. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 1990; 10(3): 276-279 Accidental poisoning represents a serious source of childhood morbidity and mortality throughout the world. [1][2][3] Various studies have shown a clear distinction in the pattern and extent of poisoning among children between developed and developing countries, and this reflects attitudinal and behavioral differences. [2][3][4] There are few reports on the epidemiology of accidental poisoning in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. M Abdulaziz Al-Sekait, Epidemiology of Accidental Poisoning of Children in 4-6Therefore, we conducted a prospective study to define the local pattern of childhood poisoning and to provide a basis for its prevention. Material and MethodsThe study was conducted from January through December 1988 on three days of a week in all children up to 12 years of age who were admitted to the following Riyadh hospitals: Children's Hospital, Armed Forces Hospital, King Khalid University Hospital, Security Forces Hospital, and National Guard Hospital. A special form was prepared to record the age and sex of the patient, type of poisoning, time of poisoning, source of poison, time before presentation at hospital, treatment, complication, final outcome, and duration of hospital stay. ResultsDuring the study period, there were 794 cases of poisoning in children and this constituted 4.9% of the total medical pediatric admissions. There was no seasonal variation in the incidence. Table 1 shows the age and sex distribution of the children. Ages ranged between 3 months and 12 years, with a peak at one year. Most cases (92%) occurred in children younger than five years. There were 422 males and 372 females (ratio, 1.1:1.0), which did not achieve statistical significance (P > 0.05) when analyzed with respect to age.

Pattern and determinants of poisoning in a teaching hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“…In the current study, unsupervised children represented the majority of cases, the same finding that was reported in similar studies in Saudi Arabia (Saddique, 2001;Izuora and Adeoye, 2001;AlSekait, 1990) and worldwide (Sibert and Davies, 1992). In this age range, children are curious and often explorative in behavior (Izuora and Adeoye, 2001).…”

Growth Charts for Children With Down's Syndrome in Saudi Arabia: Birth to 5 Years

“…The use of standard growth charts and charts developed from populations of children with DS is recommended. The construction of growth charts of Saudi DS children should provide a useful tool for distinguishing between normal growth patterns and growth impairment associated with DS, particularly because studies in Saudi Arabian preschool children aged 0–5 years showed deficiencies in weight for height and weight for age compared with the US National Center for Health Statistics/Center for Disease Control (NCHS/CDC) reference population 14–17 . So far as we know, this study is the first of its type in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region to construct growth curves for children with DS.…”