Poisoning characteristics and toxicant spectrum analysis of acute poisoning counseling cases in children

Objective To analyze the poisoning characteristics and toxicant spectrum of 304 acute poisoning cases in children in Bengbu area.Methods A total of 304 acute poisoning cases in children from January 2014 to December 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. According to their ages, they were divided into three groups: a 1-2 year old group(an infant group, n=176), a 3-6 year old group(a preschool group, n=93), and a 7-13 year old group(a school age group, n=35). Their sex distribution, seasonal characteristics, characteristics of regional distribution, causes of poisoning, types of poisons, and deaths were analyzed.Results The proportion of boys in each group was higher than that of girls(P<0.05). The main cause of poisoning in children was misuse/by accident(83.55%). Pesticides(78.62%) were the main toxicants, followed by chemicals(10.53%) and drugs(8.22%). The toxicant category of 239 children with pesticide poisoning was mainly pesticides(62.76%). The main poisons of 25 children with drug poisoning were antipsychotics/sedatives and hypnotics(28.00%). There were significant differences in the incidence of pesticide and drug poisoning among children of different sexes, ages and regions(P<0.05). Different poisons mainly damaged the digestive system(87.83%), where pesticides mainly damaged the digestive system(94.14%), and drugs mainly damaged the digestive system and the nervous system(44.00%). Children with drug poisoning showed longer length of hospitalization stay and higher hospitalization expense than those with pesticide poisoning(P<0.05). Coma/convulsion/liver and kidney damage occurred in 11 cases(3.62%). There were 3 cases of death(0.99%), including 2 cases in the 3-6 year old group and 1 case in the 1-2 year old group. The main causes of death were poisoning by antihypertensive drugs(nifedipine) and car sickness drugs(Xuanyunning).Conclusions The main poisoning cause of children′s acute poisoning counseling cases is accidental ingestion. The high incidence population is boys aged 3-6 years old. The high incidence season is summer. In spring and summer, it is necessary to enhance poison management and safety education for guardians in rural areas, so as to reduce the occurrence of acute poisoning incidents in children.