Internamentos por Intoxicação com Pesticidas em Portugal

Introduction: Pesticide intoxications are recognized as an important public health problem. In Portugal, the literature is relatively scarce. The purpose of this study is to characterize pesticide intoxications and to determine its incidence in Portugal. Methods: We collected data about pesticide intoxication hospitalizations, among January 2006 and December 2007, from the “Administracao Central do Sistema de Saude” and from eight hospitals that, according to their population areas, were subdivided in rural and urban hospitals. Results: nationally, 899 cases were recorded (431 due to poisoning by organophosphates and carbamates, 26 by organochlorines and 442 by paraquat), which represents an median annual incidence of 4,3/100000 inhabitants. Of all cases, 551 (61,3%) occurred in males. Intentional poisoning was the most prevalent, counting for 85,5% of all hospitalizations. In the eight hospitals studied, of all 297 hospitalizations, 165 (55,6%) occurred among rural areas (incidence of 8,8/100000 inhabitants). These data differs from those in urban areas, where there were 132 hospitalizations, which represents an incidence of 4,4/100000 inhabitants. Conclusions: The incidence of pesticide intoxications in Portugal is relevant. The epidemiological pattern seems to be the predominance of intentional intoxications, in middle-aged men, living in rural areas. KEY-WORDS: IntOxICAtIOn; SuICIDE; PEStICIDE; PARAquAt; ORgAnOPhOSPhAtES