The first poison control center in Vietnam: experiences of its initial years.
Poisoning is a sparsely studied but major health problem in Vietnam. In this hospital-based retrospective study, the medical records of all cases of poisoning admitted to the Poison Control Center in Hanoi from 1999 to 2003 were carefully reviewed. A total of 1,836 poisoning emergencies were recorded. The female:male ratio was approximately 1:1. The largest number of poisoned patients was found in the age-group 15-24 years. A vast majority of the toxic exposures (74.1%) occurred at the patients' homes. Suicidal poisoning constituted about one third of all cases. The most commonly involved toxic agents consisted of the heterogeneous group "food poisoning" (35.1%), pharmaceuticals (33.8%), toxins from poisonous animals, mostly snake bites (12.6%), and pesticides (9.1%). On admission, two thirds of the patients had mild symptoms (Poisoning Severity Score, PSS grade 1), while more than a quarter displayed pronounced clinical signs of poisoning (PSS grades 2-4). The most frequently used poisoning-specific treatments were gastric lavage (30.2%) and administration of activated charcoal (35.4%) and cathartics (34.2%). Intensive care measures, such as mechanical ventilation and dialysis, were applied less frequently, in 6.5% and 1.7%, respectively. Specific antidotes were given in 5.2% of the cases. The total number of fatalities was 21 (1.1%) and 10 patients were discharged with a neurological sequela. Hypnotic pharmaceuticals (mainly barbiturates), heroin, and pesticides were involved in a majority of the fatalities. These data provide an important basis for poisoning prevention efforts in developing countries\such as Vietnam.
Vietnam Poison Control Center, Hanoi Medical University, Vietnam.
Ha Tran
HT
Hung
Thi
T
Du Nguyen
Jonas
J
Höjer
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011039:Poison Control Centers; D011041:Poisoning / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology