A Pattern of Acute Poisoning in Children in Urban Zimbabwe: Ten Years Experience

Abstract

1 A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate the epidemiology of poisoning in children based on admissions to six of Zimbabwe's main urban hospitals over a 10-year period from 1980 to 1989 inclusive.

2 A total of 2873 cases were children aged between 0-15 years. This constituted 47.8% of poisoning cases from all age groups (6018) recorded during the study period.

3 All of the children (0-15 years) had signs and symptoms of poisoning on admission and, depending on their severity, were admitted to a ward or to an intensive care unit. A total of 4.9% (141) died. Most of those who died were suicide cases among the 11-15 year age group and accidental poisonings among the 0-15 year old group.

4 The under 0-5 age group constituted the majority of cases (75.4%) in the 0-15 age group, and most were between 1 and 3 years old. The 6-10 and 11-15 age groups formed 12.6% and 12% of the cases, respectively. The sex distribution showed that 53.1% were male.

5 Most incidences were accidental (93.2%). Suicides and parasuicides accounted for 1.9% and there were only two homicides.

6 The commonest toxic agents were: household products (27.2%), traditional medicines (23.%), venoms from snake bites and insect stings (16%) and therapeutic agents (12.4%). Of the therapeutic agents the most frequently implicated were antipsychotics 18.9%, analgesics 16.8%, anti-infectives 11.7%, anticonvulsants (8.2%) and benzodiazepines (7.7%).

7 The incidence of poisoning could be significantly reduced by health education directed at parents with emphasis on the safe storage of paraffin, drugs and household chemicals. An improvement in living conditions would also offer direct benefits.