[Motives of requirement for health care consultations and factors associated to mortality due to poisoning].
BACKGROUND
The poisoning is a public health problem. This problem requires continuous evaluation to decrease it. Our objective was to identify causes of requirement for health care consults and factors associated to mortality due to poisoning.


METHODS
We assessed the requirements for health care consults during one year and the outcomes of these consultations in a center of toxicology. Odds ratios (OR) were used as risk estimator.


RESULTS
There were 3116 consultations due to poisons. From these 79% required hospitalization. The identified causes were: be bite and wound inflected by poisonous animals in 57 % (44 % of these were due to scorpions); medications in 15 %; agrochemicals in 5 % and in 4 % prohibit substances (marihuana or cocaine). A poisoning caused by suicidal attempt was observed in 28 %. Mortality rate was 3/1000, and the mortality rate for suicidal attempt was 0.7 % meaning an OR = 6 (95 % CI = 1.3 to 31) compared with the overall mortality rate. The most frequent cause of mortality was organophosphorates poisoning (OR = 30, 95 % CI = 2.86-759).


CONCLUSIONS
The poisoning secondary to animals represented the most frequent cause for consultation. The suicidal attempt and organophosphorates intoxication were associated with higher mortality.
Villa-Manzano
Alberto Iram
AI
Centro Regional de Información y Atención Toxicológica, Cruz Verde Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. viram15@hotmail.com
Lamas-Flores
Sofía
S
Méndez-Cervantes
Diana
D
Villa-Manzano
Rebeca
R
Cabrera-Pivaral
Carlos E
CE
Rojo-Contreras
Wendoline
W
D000328:Adult; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011039:Poison Control Centers; D011041:Poisoning / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult