Poisoning by carbon monoxide in Morocco from 1991 to 2008.

OBJECTIVE To describe the characteristics relating to the provenance of statements, patients and to evaluate the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon monoxide poisoning reported to Poison Control Center and Pharmacovigilance of Morocco (CAPM). METHODS This is a retrospective study over a period of 18 years from 1991 to 2008, for all cases of poisoning by carbon monoxide reported to CAPM. RESULTS The epidemiological study focused on 12 976 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning reported to CAPM between 1991 and 2008. The average age of patients was 25.5 +/- 15.6 years, sex ratio was 0.5. The poisoning occurred by accident in 98.7% of cases, especially at home (96.7%) and in cold months. The urban population was the most affected (89.0%). The region of Meknes Tafilalt was the most concerned with 16.6% of cases. The symptomatology was characterized by the predominance of gastrointestinal tract diseases (37.1%). Deaths have reached a percentage of 0.9%. CONCLUSION These qualitative and quantitative information is useful to highlight warnings and plan a strategy against carbon monoxide poisoning in Morocco.