Epidemiological Profile of Accidental Poisoning in Children, Retrospective Study at Benghazi Children’s Hospital, Libya, 2021

Aims: This study aimed to determine the clinical and epidemiological profile, and outcomes of accidental poisonings in children.

Study Design: This observational retrospective study.

Place and Duration of Study: General ward and ICU of Benghazi Children's Hospital, from the 1st of January to the 31 of December 2021.

Methodology: The study included 232 children up to 15 years old (131 males, 101 females) who were admitted with acute poisoning (either comatose or stable). Complete demographical, clinical, and outcomes data were recorded and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 software.

Results: out of 232 children admitted for poisoning 56% were drug poisoning, while 44% were non-drug poisoning. Children, less than 3 years were more liable for poisoning 61.2%. Males were poisoned more than females in all age groups 56.5%. The type of poisoning was found strong correlation with age and was higher in younger (P=.002), living in urban areas (P=.022). The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the types of drugs and age groups (P=.000). In almost all cases 93.1% were due to accidental/ unintentional poisoning. More than 88.3% of the cases were exposed to poisoning through the oral route. Overall, 29.3% of drug-poisoning children were asymptomatic, whereas all non-drug-poisoning children were symptomatic and most had mild symptoms. Most cases were discharged in good condition, and only one case died due to anti-psychiatric drug poisoning.

Conclusion: The findings confirm that children under 3 years are more prone to accidental poisoning. Antipsychiatry drugs and cannabis were the most commonly involved in the poisoning.

Recommendations: Accidental toxic exposures could be avoidable by preventive measures. The cornerstone of management for children’s poisoning is appropriate public education and raising awareness among parents about safe practices of storing medications and toxic household chemicals.