Research in Medicine

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Background: Acute poisoning is a significant mental health problem all over the world. Poisonings are a well-known cause of morbidity and mortality in adolescents in Iran. The main aim of this study was to determine the pattern of poisoning in adolescents admitted in Loghman-Hakim hospital, the only referral center for poisoning in Tehran. Materials and methods: In a six- month cross-sectional study (23 Mar to 23 Sep 2003), all 12-18 years cases of poisoning admitted to Loghman-Hakim hospital were reviewed. Demographic data were reviewed for each case. SPSS Version 11.5 was used for analysis the data, α=0.05 was considered as the level of significance. Results: A total of 12548 poisoning cases were admitted during this period, of which 2485(19.8%) had occurred in the adolescents, mostly students. Most cases 1674, (67.4%), were treated as outpatients. The majority of cases occurred in youths aged 17- 18 years, mean age 16.7 (±1.3) years. Most incidents of poisoning occurred in females (1529 cases, 61.5%), singles (2254 cases, 90.7%), and high school students, (1258 cases, 50.6%). The majority of events happened at home, (2223 cases, 89.5%), by oral ingestion, (2392 cases, 96.3%), and as an act of deliberate self harm, (2038 cases, 82%). Psychotropics were the most common agents, used in 1504(49.5%) cases. 324(13%) cases had a previous history of deliberate self poisoning. The mortality rate was 0.44%. Conclusion: Most poisonings were intentional. Young girls are at risk for deliberate self-poisoning.

Keywords: Poisoning, Adolescents, Suicide, Epidemiology, Deliberate Self-poisoning.

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