@article{ref1,
title="Childhood poisoning during the COVID-19 pandemic",
journal="Turkish archives of pediatrics",
year="2023",
author="Salman, Hakan and Salman, Zeliha and Akçam, Mustafa",
volume="58",
number="3",
pages="268-273",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To determine changes caused by the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic by examining the children admitted to our hospital because of poisoning during the pandemic and comparing these with data from a study conducted in the pre-pandemic period.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective examination was made of children who were admitted to our pediatric emergency department with poisoning between March 2020 and March 2022.
RESULTS: Of the 82 (0.7%) patients admitted to the emergency department, 42 (51.2%) were girls, the mean age was 6.43 ± 5.62 years, and the majority of children (59.8%) were under 5 years of age. The poisonings were determined to be accidental in 85.4% of cases, 13.4% were suicide attempts, and 1.2% were iatrogenic. Poisonings occurred most frequently (97.6%) at home and most frequently (85.4%) by digestive tract. The most common causative agent (68%) was non-pharmacological agents. Caustic-corrosive substances were determined in 39% of cases, medical drugs in 32%, toxic gases in 11%, alcohol (hand sanitizers) in 8.5%, insecticide-pesticide in 6.1%, food in 1.2%, and animal bites in 1.2%. Compared to the study conducted in our hospital in 2013-2014, the difference in terms of factors causing poisoning was statistically significant (P <.001). Of the current study cases, 14 (17.1%) were followed up in the intensive care unit, and no mortality developed.
CONCLUSIONS: The period of the COVID-19 pandemic was seen to cause an increase in poisoning rates with caustic-corrosive substances, alcohol (hand disinfectants), and toxic gases. Families should be made aware of this issue and take special precautions. Language: en
",
language="en",
issn="2757-6256",
doi="10.5152/TurkArchPediatr.2023.22247",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5152/TurkArchPediatr.2023.22247"
}