title: Etiological and demographical characteristics of acute adult poisoning in Adana, Turkey.
abstract: The objective of this study is to define the etiological and demographical characteristics of the patients applying to the emergency department in Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University because of poisoning. This retrospective study was carried out by examining the records of 491 people who applied to the main emergency department in Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, with the complaint of poisoning between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004. It was determined that the reason why 491 of 20 817 persons (2.4%) applied during this term was because of poisoning: 159 (32.4%) of such patients were male and 332 of them (67.6%) were female. It was found that the average age of men was 27.1 +/- 10.5 years and that of women was 24.4 +/- 9.5 years (P = 0.005); 427 of poisoning cases (87.0%) happened intentionally as suicide attempts and 64 of them (13.0%) were accidental. The rate of suicide-purposed poisoning was higher in women and the rate of unintentional poisoning was higher in men (P +/- 0.001). The drugs were accountable for 71.1% of all poisoning cases and the pesticides were accountable for 18.9% of such cases. Poisonings increase during summers. The mortality rate in poisonings was found as 0.8%. The drugs and pesticides in Ckurova region constitute 90.0% of all poisoning cases. The mortality rate in poisoning will be decreased by training the physicians employed in the emergency department about poisoning by drugs and pesticides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Medical Faculty, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey. akbaba@cu.edu.tr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akbaba
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nazlican
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demirhindi
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sütoluk
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gökel
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000700:Analgesics / Q000506:poisoning; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000506:poisoning; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D002424:Caustics / Q000506:poisoning; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000431:Ethanol / Q000506:poisoning; D005260:Female; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010575:Pesticides / Q000506:poisoning; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000506:poisoning; D012107:Research Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002424:Caustics; D010575:Pesticides; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D000431:Ethanol