General pattern of paediatric poisoning in Jordan during 2018-2019

Introduction: Acute accidental poisoning in children remains a significant public health issue and a predictable cause of morbidity around the world. To take preventive measures, it is necessary to identify the pattern of this problem.

Objective: To determine the extent and characteristics of paediatric poisoning, an epidemiological investigation specific to each country is required. The goal of our research was to determine the current pattern of acute poisoning in children between (0-5) years old in Jordan.

Methods: This retrospective study performs a descriptive analysis of the Jordan University Hospital's National Poison Information Center (NPIC) database and describes the epidemiology of acute poisoning in children between (0-5) years old during a period of two years (2018-2019).

Results: Paediatric poisoning (0-5) years old accounts for approximately 88% of poisoning cases in Jordan between 2018 and 2019.Out of 3531 paediatric poisoning cases, 44.9% of cases were in children between (2-3) years old, 63.4% of subjects were male. 40.9% of calls were from governmental hospitals. Most cases occurred at home (98.7%) and were unintentional (98.6%). Medication poisoning was the commonest among cases (71.0%). Besides, 89.4% were asymptomatic at the time of call, and Central Nervous System (CNS) symptoms being the most common (3.6%) among the symptomatic cases.

Conclusions: Most cases of paediatric poisoning handled by the NPIC was due to medications. To prevent or minimize these cases, it is necessary to educate parents and other caregivers about proper medication storage and use, and in case of poisoning, urgent referral to health facilities is required.