Differences in Numbers and Patterns of Poisoning in Ramadan and Other Months, 2007-2016

Background and purpose: National occasions, holidays, and religious events cause changes in the course of some diseases or health-related events. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between the number and pattern of poisoning in Ramadan and other months within nine years. Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using the electronic records of all patients attending the Poisoning Department in Tehran Loghman Hakim Hospital 2007-2016. The quality of information was investigated and encoded according to the International Classification of Diseases. Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare the number of patients in Ramadan and other months. Results: Total numbers of referrals were 121256, including unintentional poisoning (23.4%, n=28,375), intentional self-poisoning (76.2%, n=92446), and poisoning due to other reasons (less than 1%, n=429). In those with intentional self- poisoning, the frequency of alcohol poisoning during Ramadan was significantly lower than other months (P=0.001). There were no significant differences between Ramadan and other months in monthly mean number of intentional self-poisoning (other than alcohol, P=0.404), homicide by poisoning (P=0.459) and undetermined intent poisoning (P=0.607). But, there was a significant difference in monthly mean number of unintentional poisoning between Ramadan and other months (P =0.04). Conclusion: Ramadan has significant moral and spiritual effects in Iran and the number of intentional self-poisoning by alcohol reduces considerably during this month.