Gravity of Poisoning Cases in Shaheed Benazirabad Sindh, Pakistan: A Prospective Study

Aim: It is estimated that more than half a million of people die worldwide due to various incidences of intentional and unintentional poisoning and of them 84% occur in low- and middle-income countries. The clinical presentation of poisoning cases differs by age group, reason of poisoning, geographic region, substances involved and economic development of the country. The aim of present research was to estimate the incidence of poisoning in Shaheed Benazirabad based on above reasons. Study Design: Cross-sectional prospective study. Place and Duration of Study: Over a period of 6 months between July to December 2019 in a tertiary care hospital in Sindh, Pakistan. Methodology: Study was carried out by enrolling poisoned patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital. A standardized questionnaire was designed based on different variables in surveys conducted by American Association of Poison Control Centers. In total 263 poisoning cases were presented during the study period. The data obtained was coded, entered and analyzed using SPSS 24. Results: It was found that poisoning was more common in male (58.9%) in the age group of 16 to 30 years (48.7%) and single individuals (56.3%) with uneducated (55.1%) and jobless (54%) background. The common reasons of poisoning were suicide (36.5%) and substance involved in poisoning cases were pesticides (42.6%). Of the total cases reported during study period, 17.5% were admitted in Intensive Care Unit and death was reported in 5.3% of cases.  Conclusion: It was found that improved regulatory controls for hazardous chemicals, establishing poison control centers and decreasing exposure and reporting time can decrease poisoning cases.