All issues > Volume 44(6); 2001

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2001;44(6):614-619. Published online June 15, 2001.

A Study of Acute Poisoning in Korean Children

Chan Sook CS Park¹, Song Hyeun SH Eun¹, Mi Hwa MH Yang¹, Jin A JA Son¹, Jung Yun JY Hwang², Jae Wook JW Ko³, Don Hee DH Ahn¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Emergency Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
³Korea and Novartis Korea Ltd.

Abstract

Purpose
: The National Medical Center has been conducting a study as a Poison Control Center since 1998. The data was analyzed to illustrate the general aspects of acute poisoning in Korean children.
Methods
: The primary sources of data were collected from the Medical Insurance Records of 1997 and death records of the same period obtained from the Korea National Statistical Office. A total of 10,271 cases of acute poisoning and 60 cases of death due to acute poisoning under 15 years of age were included in the analysis.
Results
: Among 566,654 cases of poisoning from Medical Insurance Records, 10,721 cases(male 6,339(59.1%), female 4,378(40.8%), unknown 4 cases(0.1%)) comprising 18.9% occurred among children under 15 years, and children less than 4 years of age comprised 56.1% of the cases. The most frequent cause of the poisoning was contact with poisonous animals(comprising 76.1%) followed by poisonous food(5.6%). Among 5,245 death in children, the number of death due to acute poisoning was 60 and causative materials of the poisoning in death cases were chiefly composed of carbon monoxide followed by weedicide, antifungal drugs and insecticides.
Conclusion
: Although the general aspects of acute childhood poisoning were analyzed in the study, the data were incomplete and unsatisfactory. It is mandatory to establish a well organized poison information/control center in Korea.

Keywords :Acute childhood poisoning, Poisoning control center