Epidemiology Study on Poisoning in Patients Received Pre-hospital Emergency Services in Ghaemshahr, Iran

Background: Poisoning is an important public health issue and causes high mortality rate each year worldwide. Having epidemiological information can lead to proper planning for its prevention and intervention.  Objective: This study aims to investigate the one-year prevalence and causes of poisoning in patients received pre-hospital emergency services in Ghaemshahr, Mazandaran, Iran. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. After reviewing the medical files of 12552 patients collected from the Medical Emergency and Accident Management Center in Ghaemshahr, Iran in 2016, 398 poisoned patients were found. Their data including age, gender, place of residence, agent and cause of poisoning, and received therapeutic interventions were extracted and recorded. Results: Of 398 patients, 17.3% had received treatment; 271 (68.1%) were male and 127 (31.9%) were female. The most common cause of poisoning was abuse (58.1%); 58.3% of the poisonings were caused by the use of medications and the rest were non-medication poisonings. Tramadol (29.6%) was the most common medication that had caused poisoning. Among non-medication poisonings, the most common agent were substances (22.6%) and alcohol (13.1%). The most common route of exposure to poisoning agent (toxins) was by ingestion. Conclusion: Due to the increasing abuse of substances and medications such as tramadol among young people and considering the high prevalence of intentional poisoning in young women, there are a need for psychological support, proper monitoring of medicine distribution, and creating social and recreational opportunities for the young people in Iran.