Study of Profile, Pattern and Outcome of Oral Poisoning Cases admitted in Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in North India

Introduction: Poisoning is a common medico-social problem. It is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality. Knowledge of the epidemiology of poisoning and its changes is important to both emergency physicians and public health practitioners. Our study was to determine the socio-demographic profile, pattern and outcome of the poisoning cases reported to the Emergency Department of a tertiary care hospital. Methods: The study was a Retrospective observational type of study conducted at Sheri-Kashmir Institute of medical sciences, Srinagar J&K. The patients with acute poisonings presenting to and managed in the Emergency Medicine department between February 2016 to February 2018 were reviewed for inclusion. Data was collected by reviewing records . Using a pre-structured format, case records of poisoning cases were reviewed for gender, age, residence, type of poison, route of poison and outcome of treatment. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis. Results: In the present study the Female: male ratio was 1.9:1 (131 Females and 68 Males).Females outnumbered the males. Highest cases of Poisoning were reported in the age group of 10-20 years. The poisoning in extreme of ages was less observed. Maximum cases of Poisoning belongs to rural areas (60.8%). The most common implicating agents were Pesticides (75.3%). The second common cause of poisoning was drug overdose (20.52%) Maximum cases recovered after treatment (94%). Conclusion: Pattern and magnitude of poisoning are multidimensional and demand multi-sectorial approach for facing this problem. There is a need for stringent pesticide regulation laws and counseling and training programs to reduce the incidence of poisonings. JMS 2018;21(1):24-30