Poisoning in children at Georgetown Hospital, Guyana: a two year review

ABSTRACT

Between January 1992 and December 1993 a total of 109 children ó 10 years of age were admitted to the paediatric medical wards of the Georgetown Public Hospital for poisonous substance ingestion. Poisoning was most frequently seen in the 1-year-age-group (46 cases) followed by the 2-year-age-group (31) and the 3-year-age-group (15). There were no admissions of children aged 6, 7, 9 and 10 years. The youngest was 3-weeks-of-age and the oldest 8-years. The most common known substances ingested in order of frequency were kerosene (66 cases), bleach (11) and caustic soda (6 cases). There were 15 cases involving ingestion of known and 8 cases of unknown, medicinal substances (AU)