Trends of acute poisoning cases occurring at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
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Date
2012Author
Nyamu, D.G.
Maitai, C.K.
Mecca, L.W
Mwangangi, E.M.
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
A retrospective study of poisoned patients admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)
over the period January 2002 to June 2003 was carried out. KNH is a national referral
and university teaching hospital and patients are admitted from all parts of Kenya. The
results of the study are therefore expected to mirror closely the situation in the rest of the
country. Data analysis showed that 58.9% of poisoned patients were males. Pesticides and
household/industrial chemicals, the two most important poisoning agents, accounted for
43% and 24% of poisoning, respectively. Organophosphates and rodenticides were the
two most common pesticides accounting for 57.4% and 31% of poisoning, respectively.
Kerosene accounted for 66% of poisoning with household agents. Self-poisoning was
prevalent in the age bracket 21-30 years (70.7%)while accidental poisoning, mostly with
kerosene,was prevalent in the age group 0-5 years (83.9%). The overall mortality rate
from poisoning was 7.0%.
Citation
East and Central Africa Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 15 (2012)Publisher
Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi,
Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10387]