title: Poisoning emergency visits among children: a 3-year retrospective study in Qatar.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poisoning in toddlers and infants is almost always unintentional due to their exploratory behavior, which is different from adults. The prevalence and background of childhood poisoning in Qatar is still unknown. The aim of this study is to explore the extent of childhood poisoning in Qatar and, specifically, to describe the frequency of poisoning as a cause of Accident & Emergency (A&E) admission, the demographic profile of affected patients, the circumstances leading to exposure, and the specific agents involved in poisoning among children under age 14 in our setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a cross-sectional survey of children up to 14 years old utilizing retrospective data between October 2009 and October 2012. The data were collected from the childhood poisoning case registry and patient medical records at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit of all the Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals. Pharmacists reviewed all the handwritten medical records. Data written on the data collection form were transferred into excel and later into SPSS version 21. The data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages, and a chi-square test was used for categorical variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 1179 registered poisoning cases listed in the registry, only 794 cases (67.3%) were usable and included in the final analysis. A&E admissions for unintentional poisoning for children accounted for 0.22% of all A&E admissions from 2009 to 12. The majority of poisoning cases happened among children between 1 and 5 years old (n = 704, 59.7%). Cases were more frequent among non-Qatari than Qatari children (39.4% vs. 28.5%). Most cases occurred in the living room (28.2%) and typically took place in the afternoon (29.2%). Analgesic and antipyretic medicines were the most common agents ingested by children (n = 194, 36.9%), specifically paracetamol (n = 140, 26.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cases of unintentional poisoning are higher among children aged 1 to 5 years, males and non-Qatari. Most cases occurred in the living room and typically took place in the afternoon. The most common type of poison ingested by children was medicines, i.e., analgesics and antipyretics, specifically paracetamol.
authors: Drug Information Unit, Pharmacy Department, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Wakra, Qatar. AAhmed21@hmc.org.qa.
authors: Abdelrahman
authors: A
authors: Ahmed
authors: Drug Information Unit, Pharmacy Department, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Wakra, Qatar. Aaljamal@hmc.org.qa.
authors: Ashraf Nazmi
authors: AN
authors: AlJamal
authors: College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, Al Tarfa, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. mohamedizham@qu.edu.qa.
authors: Mohamed Izham
authors: MI
authors: Mohamed Ibrahim
authors: Paediatric Emergency, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Wakra, Qatar. Kalawi@hmc.org.qa.
authors: Khalil
authors: K
authors: Salameh
authors: Paediatric Emergency, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Wakra, Qatar. Ksalameh@hmc.org.qa.
authors: Khalid
authors: K
authors: AlYafei
authors: Pharmacy Department, Women Hospital, Al Wakra, Qatar. Sabuzaineh@hmc.org.qa.
authors: Samah Abu
authors: SA
authors: Zaineh
authors: Pharmacy Department, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Wakra, Qatar. Fadheir@sidra.org.
authors: Fathea Salama S S
authors: FS
authors: Adheir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000700:Analgesics / Q000506:poisoning; D058633:Antipyretics / Q000506:poisoning; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011780:Qatar / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D058633:Antipyretics