The burden of poisoning in children hospitalised at a tertiary-level hospital in South Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Globally, childhood poisoning, accounts for a significant proportion of emergency department admissions. There is a paucity of data from low- and middle-income countries on poisoning in children.

Objective

To describe the incidence, case fatality rate, and types of poisoning in children admitted to a tertiary-level hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Methods

This was a retrospective descriptive study of children hospitalised with poisoning from January 2016 to December 2021 at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. Children were identified from a discharge summary database using ICD-10 codes that describe poisoning. Trends in incidence of poison exposure were reported.

Results

Of the 60,901 admissions during the study period, 2,652 (4.4%) ch

SUBMITTER: Khan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10623415 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature