Acute poisonings in Iceland: A prospective nationwide study

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: :

• Toxic exposures
• Acute poisoning
• Children
• Adults
• Drugs
• Chemicals

Acknowledgments

The study was supported by grants from the Landspitali University Hospital Science Fund, The St. Joseph's Hospital Research Fund, and the Association of Icelandic Nurses Science Fund. Abstracts based on data from this study have been presented at the North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology in Palm Springs, CA, September 24–29, 2002; the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) XXIIIrd International Congress in Rome, Italy, May 20–23, 2003; and the EAPCCT XXVI^th International Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, April 19–22, 2006.

Notes

16. Statistisk Årbog 2005. Statistics Denmark. Copenhagen, 2005.