Abstract
Background and aims: Poisoning is one of the main medical emergencies that is divided into intentional and unintentional types. According to previous records on poisoning attributed to Farsan’s hospital, Iran, the current study focused on investigating its prevalence, type, and poisonous agent.
Methods: In the descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, the registered data of 557 poisoned patients during 2018-2019 were used by a consensus method. Age, gender, residence, type, and agent of poisoning and hospitalization were employed as explanatory variables. Data were extracted from medical records and entered into the standard checklist. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were applied for data analysis. Finally, the chi-square test and independent t test were used to analyze variables in SPSS 22.0.
Results: Among a total of 557 poisoning cases, 70% were intentional, 52.1% were related to males, 66% lived in cities, 38.2% were in the age group of 16-30 years, and 58% were associated with drug and opioid use. In addition, 31.4% occurred in spring and about 85% of them were discharged in 2 days. The poisonous agent was different between genders (P≤0.001). Intentional poisoning was more prevalent in youth compared to the elderly and children. Further, poisonous agents demonstrated a significant difference according to the poisoning type, as in intentional poisoning opioids, drugs, and toxins had been used more than the other agents (P≤0.001).
Conclusion: In this study, most poisoning cases were intentional, related to males and young individuals, and those residing in cities, and occurred via opioids and drugs. Therefore, it is suggested that more comprehensive studies should be conducted about the cultural and socioeconomic status of vulnerable groups and provide them with appropriate training and attention.