Accidental Childhood Poisoning in Benin City

Abstract

Summary: Three hundred and forty-nine cases of childhood poisoning seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital over a six-year period, were reviewed. These cases accounted for 2.5 percent of the total admis sions into the children's wards during the period. The mean age of the children was 36 months (range: two months to 15 years). Males were more frequently involved than females (M:F = 1.6:1). Volatile hydrocarbons and alcohol were the predominant agents encountered, accounting for 43.8 percent and 32.7 percent of the total, respectively. A majority (90.2 percent) of the children who ingested hydrocarbons were below three years of age, while 82.4 percent of those who ingested alcohol were above three years of age (P<0.001). There were five cases of petrol poisoning in the series. Chemical pneumonities and coma were the commonest complications of hydrocarbon and alcohol poisoning, respectively. The overall mortality was 2.56 percent. It is concluded that storage of household goods, alcohol and drugs in child-resistant containers will reduce the high mor bidity and mortality from childhood poisoning in developing countries, as has happened in industrialized nations.