DRUG POISONING TREND IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Mallesh Kariyappa MD(PED),DNB,DM(CARD)*, Anil Kumar Kejjaiah (MD-PED), Rakesh Saraswathipura Ramachandrappa (DCH), Asha Benakappa MD(PED)

Objective: Quantify burden of drug poisoning and it’s trend in less than 18 years.

Design: Retrospective observation study.

Methods:All the children admitted with diagnosis of acute drug poisoning between January 2013 and June 2015 was studied.

Results: There were 48 cases of drug poisoning accounting for 14.5% of all poisoning admissions, peaking in rainy season and in adolescence with female: male ratio of 18:1 after 14 years of age. Anti epileptic drugs and benzodiazepines were the most common drugs with 27 out of 48 cases followed by iron poisoning with7 cases. No drug belonging to narcotics and psychodysleptics, drugs acting on central nervous system was observed in our study. Drug poisoning peaked during rainy season.

Conclusions: 14.5% of acute poisoning in children and adolescents is due to drug poisoning with peak during adolescence and rainy season. Anti epileptics and benzodiazepines were most commonly used drugs. Adolescent females were involved in drug poisoning in alarming proportions.