Acute poisoning: study of 673 cases
Caballero Vallés, P.J.; Dorado Pombo, M.S.; Alonso Navas, F.
Medicina Clinica 77(4): 139-145
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-7753 PMID: 7311646 Document Number: 173433
During 1979, 673 cases of acute intoxication were treated in the Emergency Room of the Internal Medicine Section at the First October Hospital [Madrid, Spain]. Of these, 93% were self-inflicted, with the highest incidence (73%) of deliberate attempts at self-injury followed by alcohol, accidental overdose of medication and overdose of drugs. The intoxications through mishap were classified as domestic (71%), occupation and ingestion of contaminated food. Women accounted for 63% of the total cases. The mean age (26 yr) (.+-. = 12) and age of the group with the highest incidence (10-19 yr) were lower than that published in other countries. The most frequent toxic agents were drugs (72%), with psychopharmacologic agents (25%) followed by analgesics and xanthines. Ingestion of barbiturates was lower than usual (17%) and confined mainly to commercial preparations in which they did not figure as the main ingredient. In intoxications other than through medication, inhalation of gases predominated, followed by alkalis and acids. The need to assess whether the incidence followed the same upward progression as it did in other countries was underlined to adopt the necessary preventive measures.