Abstract :
Poison is a substance that causes damage or injury to the body and endangers one’s life due to its exposure by means of ingestion, inhalation, or contact and it is an important public health problem causing significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Hence, this study was done at tertiary care Hospital in north India (Haryana region) from year 2012 to 2013. 59 cases of acute poisoning in adults due to chemicals were included. Data on age, sex, marital status, occupation, locality, type of poison, were recorded and analyzed by descriptive method. Among 120 postmortem cases, 59 cases were of poisoning. Males (40 cases) outnumbered females (19 cases) and 46 cases were married. Peak occurrence was in the age group of 31-40 years (18 cases). Occupation wise poisoning was commonly found among male laborers (25.4%) and farmers (20.3%) followed by house wives (28.1%) and students (6.8%). Organophosphorus was the commonest agent (42.4%). The incidence of poisoning and its morbidity and mortality can be reduced by developing and implementation of effective prevention strategies.
Keyword :
Poisoning, Autopsy, Pattern of poisoning, Organophosphorus, Young adults