TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2000//
TI  - Paracetamol poisoning among immigrants in a department of hepatology
JO  - Ugeskrift for Laeger
A1  - Schmidt, L. E.
A1  - Dalhoff, K. P.
SP  - 6229
EP  - 6232
VL  - 162
IS  - 46
N2  - INTRODUCTION: An increased incidence of suicides and suicidal behaviour among immigrants has been described in other countries. In Denmark, misuse of paracetamol is suspected in some foreign-born minority groups, although no data have been produced to substantiate this suspicion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of the incidence of paracetamol poisoning in patients admitted to a specialised department of hepatology from 1994 to 1999 was carried out. RESULTS: Of a total of 580 patients, 56 (9.7%) were immigrants, among whom a significant overrepresentation was found of immigrants from Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and Lebanon (observed/expected ratios of 1.95, 4.14, 2.67, and 2.45 respectively). The immigrants differed from the Danish-born patients in that they were younger (21 vs 35 years of age), had a lower level of alcohol consumption (3% vs 30% with regular alcohol abuse), and were in general less severely intoxicated (3% vs 22% developing hepatic encephalopathy). Compared to the Danish-born patients, the immigrants more frequently stated socio-economic problems as the reason for their self-poisoning (29% vs 10%). DISCUSSION: The study demonstrates an overrepresentation of immigrants among patients admitted with paracetamol poisoning in Denmark.<p /> <p>Language: da</p>
LA  - da
SN  - 0041-5782
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -