AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF PATIENTS WITH ACUTE POISONING IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

Kim, Seong Joong; Kim, Kyung Soo; Choi, Jong Moo; Choi, Sung Wook; Kim, In Byung; Lee, Young Soo

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 6(2); 1995 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 1995;6(2): 454-458.

AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF PATIENTS WITH ACUTE POISONING IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

Seong Joong Kim¹, Kyung Soo Kim¹, Jong Moo Choi¹, Sung Wook Choi², In Byung Kim², Young Soo Lee¹

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Ulsan University Medical College
²Department of Emergency Medicine, Yonsei University Medical College

Published online: December 31, 1995.

ABSTRACT

Study objective: To compare patients with acute poisoning between urban and rural areas Design: Retrospective chart review of 217 patients with acute poisoning Setting: Two University Hospital EDs
Method:
Patients were divided into two groups according to hospital. The group A was 109 patients who came to ED of Asan Medical Center and the group B was patients who came to ED of Ajou University Hospital from June 1994 to February 1995. We analysed the age and sex distributions, poisoning substances, causes of poisoning and the past history of psychiatric problems in patients of the two groups.
Results:
Total number of patients with acute poisoning were 109 in the group A and 108 in the group B. Female was more prevalent than male in the group A and male was more than female in the group B. There was a significant difference in sex distribution between two groups. The mean age of the group A was 27.7 years which was significantly different from the mean age of the group B, 33.7 years. The age incidences in both groups were highest in 2nd decade. The accidental poisoning cases were 37% in the group A and 31% in the group B. The rates of committed suicide were 7% in the group A and 22% in the group B. The most common agent of poisoning was therapeutic drug in the group A and agricultural or industrial chemical in the group B. The overall mortality was 5% in the group A and 15% in the group B.
Conclusion:
There were significant differences in age and sex distributions, poisoning substances, causes of poisoning and the past history of psychiatric problems between two groups.

Key words: Acute poisoning, Urban and rural areas