Epidemiological, Poisoning Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of Patients Admitted to the National Poisoning Control Centre at Karachi, Pakistan: A Six Month Analysis

Introduction: Any substance if taken in enough quantity can be defined as a poison provided it causes physiological or anatomical harm. It can range from food products to therapeutic medications to toxins and chemicals. Animals, plants, and insects also produce toxins, which are poisonous. While any route of ingestion is dangerous, most poisons are either taken by mouth or inhaled. Rarely intravenous access as in the case of heroin/opoids overdose is seen as well. Poisoning whether deliberate or otherwise is a growing problem of the modern world. Young people are disproportionally affected by it. Mostly household products such as insecticides, bleach, acid, etc. are used. Harmful ingestion of prescription meds, recreational drugs, psychiatric medicines, and opoids has been on the rise in recent times. This is one of the major sources of poisoning these days. Data with respect to Sindh and Pakistan is scarce. As the largest referral center in the country, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre sees its fair share of poisoning cases. Here we evaluate the trends and increasing burden of poisoning cases seen at this center. Aims: To evaluate the epidemiological, poisoning characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients admitted to the National Poisoning Control Centre (NPCC) at Karachi, Pakistan. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study, held from July 1st to December 31st 2018. Data were recorded from all patients admitted to the NPCC after complete medico-legal work up. Results: A total of 2546 patients were inducted into the study. The mean age of presentation was 26.57 ± 11.82 years. Nearly 80% of patients were aged 40 years or younger. Both genders were equally affected and most cases were referred from within the city. Organophosphates (OPs) were the most frequent (46.11%) cause of poisoning seen. Overall mortality was 3.61%. Conclusion: The burden of poisoning cases has risen sharply. Mostly young adults and teenagers are affected without gender bias. Mortality is high considering the young population involved.