title: A prospective study of fatal outcomes of poisoning in Tehran.
abstract: Data on 194 fatal poisoning cases admitted to various hospitals in Tehran over a 1-y period showed an overall male:female ratio of 1.9:1, with females predominating only in the 13-19 y age group. Fifty-five percent of the deaths were attributed to suicide, affecting more females than males. Most cases were referred to hospitals between 1 pm and 1 am. There was a slight seasonal variation, with the highest number of cases in July and March and the lowest in April. Drugs were the most frequently used poison (27%) followed closely by pesticides (24%). Benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants accounted for 38% of drug-related poisonings, with diazepam (61%), imipramine (44%) and amitriptyline (33%) the most commonly used agents in each group. Insecticides were responsible for 58% of pesticide-related deaths. Following pesticides, 13% of the deaths were due to chemicals, with depilator and solvent abuse accounting for 88% of the cases in this group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghazi-Khansari
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oreizi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006795:Household Products / Q000506:poisoning; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010575:Pesticides / Q000506:poisoning; D011041:Poisoning / Q000401:mortality*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012997:Solvents / Q000506:poisoning; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides; D012997:Solvents