title: [Epidemiology and risk factors for voluntary intoxication in Mali].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Voluntary intoxication is a major medical and social problem in developing countries and the most common method of suicide attempt. The purpose of this paper is to describe the main characteristics of voluntary intoxication in Mali and the risk factors associated with the outcome of poisoning. More generally, the aim is to contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality associated with self-poisoning.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of the cases of deliberate self-poisoning recorded between 2000 and 2010 in 15 Malian hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  884 cases of self-poisoning (233 men and 651 women) were identified during the period of study, representing 28% of all cases of poisoning reported during this period. The mean age of the victims was 23 ± 8.9 years. The available data indicate that the most common cases were suicide attempts and self-induced abortion using toxic substances (respectively 62.8% and 29% of all cases). The most common methods were drugs (74.5%), especially chloroquine (65%), followed by industrial products (9.1%). The most commonly used industrial products were hydrochloric acid (26.7%), sodium hypochlorite (bleach) (22.2%) and sulphuric acid (15.6%). The findings suggest that poisoning symptoms vary depending on the type of substance, the amount ingested and the delay before treatment. 86 of the 877 cases with known outcome resulted in death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of cases of poisoning is probably underestimated since many cases remain undiagnosed and unreported.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Génétique et Biométrie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Ibn Tofail, Kénitra, Maroc. t_diallo2003@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Tidiane
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.forename: Hinde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hami
authors.forename: Ababacar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maiga
authors.forename: Boubou
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coulibaly
authors.forename: Diadié
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maiga
authors.forename: Abdelrhani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mokhtari
authors.forename: Rachida
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soulaymani
authors.forename: Abdelmajid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soulaymani
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008302:Mali / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult