ABSTRACT
This study is a retrospective analysis of 670 cases of poisoning (including phenothiazine toxicity) admitted to this hospital in the past six years, accounting for 0.9% of all pediatric admissions. Nearly half (45%) of the cases were in the age group of 1-4 years. Medicines and chemicals were the commonest agents (53%), followed by pesticides (15%), kerosene (11.2%), plant poisons (9.4%), food poisoning (3.9%) and corrosives (1.9%). Accidental poisoning was the commonest (70%) followed by iatrogenic (29.6%) and suicidal (0.4%). Overall mortality was 1.8%. Stress is laid on judicious use of phenothiazines as antiemetics and replacing them with drugs of lesser toxicity.
Subject(s)
Age Factors , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology , Humans , India/epidemiology , Infant , Insecticides/poisoning , Male , Plant Poisoning/epidemiology , Plants, Toxic , Poisoning/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The present study was undertaken to compare the disturbance in bactericidal power of neutrophils in 25 children having protein caloric malnutrition age and sex matched healthy control subjects. There was a highly significant reduction in the percentage of bacteria killed during incubation in children having PCM as compared to healthy control. A direct relationship existed between total serum proteins and bactericidal activity of neutrophils in children having PCM. The impaired bactericidal power of neutrophils can be attributed to impaired synthesis of lysosomal enzymes, glycolytic activity of neutrophils in children having PCM. The exact mechanisms still remain to be elucidated. Decreased bactericidal activity of neutrophils may be one of the mechanisms responsible for infection.