Management of accidental kerosene ingestion

Abstract

Accidental kerosene ingestion is still a common problem in Libya. It causes considerable morbidity and occasionally mortality. The role and choice of antibacterial agents in its management remain unsettled. Pulmonary damage has been reported as resulting from aspiration. In aspiration pneumonia, anaerobic organisms may be important pathogens and metronidazole may have a place in therapy. The present randomized trial in 100 children with accidental kerosene ingestion assesses the role of ampicillin, carbenicillin and metronidazole in its management. The results are not conclusive but chemoprophylaxis appears to decrease morbidity. Of the various regimens used, the ampicillin/metronidazole combination was found to be slightly better than the others. Further study is recommended.

A multi-centric retrospective study of poisoning in children in 3 Medical College Hospitals across 3 different states in India

“…Kerosene oil was the most common cause of poisoning in all three centres and this was in accordance with previous studies [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] . Turpin oil, a hydrocarbon like kerosene oil, accounted for 5.9% of total poisoning.…”

Acute renal failure owing to paraphenylene diamine hair dye poisoning in Sudanese children

“…[14][15][16] Other reports from Africa showed that household agents are a common cause of poisoning in Malawi while kerosene, herbal intoxication and lead poisoning were common in Libya, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, respectively. [17][18][19][20] An outbreak of Konzo, a neuromyelopathy characterized by permanent spastic paraparesis, linked to a subacute poisoning by cyanide found in cassava was reported recently as a serious health problem in 81 children from the Central African Republic. 21 A report from Sudan in 1992 recorded PPD intoxication over a 5-year period in 31 children, 13 (42%) of whom died.…”

Kerosene Oil Poisoning among Children in Rural Sri Lanka

“…This observation is similar in other studies [ 22 ]. Poor socioeconomic status and inadequate house space were reported as risk factors for kerosene oil poisoning in studies from Africa [ 23 ] and Middle East [ 24 ]. It was understood in the qualitative study that many of these risk factors interact to bring about the event of poisoning rather than the effect of a single risk factor.…”