CONTEXT Information on childhood poisoning in the developing world, including South Africa, is scarce, despite its contribution to morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE We describe the profile of children with exposures and poisonings presenting to Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH) in Cape Town, South Africa, from 2003 to 2008 and compare the trends of causative agents over the...

BACKGROUND Ninety-nine percent of fatal poisonings occur in developing countries, particularly among agricultural workers. In a particular area, it is important to known the magnitude and pattern of acute poisonings, as it is important for early diagnosis and treatment and also for preventive measures. METHODS Hospital records of all unnatural causes of deaths were reviewed at Shri Vasantrao ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether children and young adults with epilepsy are at a greater risk of fracture, thermal injury, or poisoning than those without. METHODS A cohort study was conducted by using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (1987-2009), a longitudinal database containing primary care records. A total of 11 934 people with epilepsy and 46 598 without, aged between 1 and 24 y...

BACKGROUND the ingestion of chemical agents, of caustic nature, represents a serious problem for clinical toxicology. If the ingestion doesn't cause death during the acute period, it will most often cause severe side effects in the upper gastrointestinal tract during the chronic phase. AIMS The purpose of this study is to show the clinical, epidemiological and socio-economical characteristics...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nontherapeutic medication ingestions continue to be a major pediatric health problem, with recent increases in ingestions despite a number of public health interventions. It is unknown how changes in adult prescription drug use relate to pediatric medication poisonings. The objective of the study was to measure the association between changing adult prescription drug ...

The acutely poisoned patient remains a common problem facing doctors working in acute medicine in the United Kingdom and worldwide. This review examines the initial management of the acutely poisoned patient. Aspects of general management are reviewed including immediate interventions, investigations, gastrointestinal decontamination techniques, use of antidotes, methods to increase poison elim...