title: Drug poisoning in the community among children: a nine years' experience from a tertiary care center in south India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was performed to determine the incidence, demographic distribution, types and outcomes across various drug poisonings among children from south India.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study included children less than 16 years who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Department with drug poisoning from the 1st of October 2004 to the 30th of September 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the total 997 poisoning cases, 366 (36.71%) were contributed by drugs; mainly antiepileptics, central nervous system depressants, psychotropics, analgesic-antipyretics and natural drugs. Males and children of < 5 years were mostly affected. Although many children developed complications and required intensive care unit admissions, the total mortality rate was less than 1%. The incidence of drug poisoning showed a decreasing trend over the last 4 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study for the first time gives an elaborative insight into pediatric drug poisoning over a nine-year period from a Pediatric Emergency Department tertiary care center in south India.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology , Christian Medical College , Vellore , Tamil Nadu , India.
authors.forename: Blessed
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winston A
authors.affiliation: b Paediatric Emergency, Department of Paediatrics , Christian Medical College , Vellore , Tamil Nadu , India.
authors.forename: Debasis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Das Adhikari
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology , Christian Medical College , Vellore , Tamil Nadu , India.
authors.forename: Saibal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology , Christian Medical College , Vellore , Tamil Nadu , India.
authors.forename: Kaysina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vazhudhi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology , Christian Medical College , Vellore , Tamil Nadu , India.
authors.forename: Aniket
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology , Christian Medical College , Vellore , Tamil Nadu , India.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shanthi Fx
authors.affiliation: c Child Health 2, Department of Paediatrics , Christian Medical College , Vellore , Tamil Nadu , India.
authors.forename: Indira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Agarwal
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000931:Antidotes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
chemical_list: D000931:Antidotes
keywords: Drugs; children; poisoning; south India; toxicity