Acute poisonings in Iceland: A prospective nationwide study
- 20 January 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Clinical Toxicology
- Vol. 46 (2), 126-132
- https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650701438268
Abstract
Introduction. Poisoning is a common cause of emergency visits and hospital admission in Western countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence and type of toxic exposures presenting to emergency medical facilities in Iceland. Materials and methods. The study was prospective and included all patients with confirmed or suspected poisoning presenting to hospitals and rural medical centers providing emergency services in Iceland during the twelve-month period from April 2001 until March 2002. Results. A total of 1,121 toxic exposures were documented representing an incidence of 3.91 cases per 1,000 inhabitants per year. The female to male ratio was 1.23. The majority of exposures (56.7%) occurred in the patient's home, 60% were deliberate, 72% had drugs and/or alcohol as their main cause, and 11% involved illicit drugs. Exposures to chemicals other than drugs were usually unintentional. Conclusion. Toxic exposures requiring emergency medical care are common in Iceland. Self-poisonings by ingestion of prescription drugs and/or alcohol accounted for the majority of cases.Keywords
This publication has 21 references indexed in Scilit:
- National multicentre study of acute intoxication in emergency departments of SpainEuropean Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2003
- A prospective study of acute poisonings in Finnish hospital patientsHuman & Experimental Toxicology, 1998
- Presentation of poisoned patients to accident and emergency departments in the North of EnglandHuman & Experimental Toxicology, 1996
- Medicine self-poisoning and the sources of the drugs in Lund, SwedenActa Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 1994
- Epidemiology of poisoningPharmacology & Therapeutics, 1993
- Hospitalizations due to poisonings in FinlandJournal of Clinical Epidemiology, 1993
- Pattern of acute intoxication in Florence: a comparative investigationIntensive Care Medicine, 1991
- Epidemiological, social and psychiatric aspects in self-poisoned patientsSocial psychiatry. Sozialpsychiatrie. Psychiatrie sociale, 1991
- A Comparative Prospective Study of Self-poisoned Patients in Trondheim, Norway between 1978 and 1987: Epidemiology and Clinical DataHuman Toxicology, 1989
- A Prospective Study of 1212 Cases of Acute Poisoning: General EpidemiologyHuman Toxicology, 1984