Burden of Acute Poisoning Among Children in Kuwait Jahra Health Region 1992-2006

Objective: To analyse acute poisoning in children, to identify risk factors and to demonstrate their spectrum in Jahra Health Region of Kuwait. Methods: The hospital records of 678 patients, admitted and coded as poisoning, among children over 15 years were analysed. The risk factors were indentified. The spectrum of causative agents were compared with the previous studies in Kuwait and other parts of the world. Results: Poisoning among children accounted for 1.33% (678) of all the pediatric admissions during our study period. Children aged one to three years accounted for 74.7% of all the poisoning admissions. Kerosene ingestion was still seen in 23.1%. 52.5% children were poisoned by drugs. Analgesics were implicated as the commonest medicinal causative agents. The majority of poisonings occurred accidently at homes. There was no mortality. Conclusion: Lack of appropriate supervision and health awareness in the community are significant contributory factors to the burden of acute poisoning in pediatric age groups.