title: [Acute poisoning in patients over 65 years of age].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are few Spanish studies on acute poisoning in the elderly despite the associated risk factors of this group of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective descriptive study of acute poisonings treated in the Emergency Service of the University Hospital of Zaragoza from 1995 to 2009 on patients 65 years old or older.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 762 patients were selected in the study (4.74% of all acute poisonings) with a mean age of 74.16 (SD ± 6) years. Ingestion was the major route of exposure (85%) and alcohol overdose (28,7%) was the most frequent type of poisoning. A trend was also observed showing a lower emetic treatment and gastric lavage and an increase in activated charcoal. Benzodiazepines (14.3%) and toxic household products (11%) with caustic properties were also the main toxics found in the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute poisonings in the elderly required more hospitalizations, have a higher mortality and more autolytic attempts which result in death.
authors.affiliation: Servicio Aragonés de Salud, Atención Primaria Sector III, Zaragoza, Spain. pilimira@gmail.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miranda Arto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrer Dufol
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Ruiz Ruiz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Menao Guillén
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Civeira Murillo
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies