Demographics, deaths and severity indicators in hospitalizations due to drug poisoning among children under age five in Brazil

ABSTRACT:

Introduction:

In Brazil, drugs are the main causative agents of poisonings, and children under age five are the group with the highest number of cases. The objective of the present study was to describe hospitalizations due to drug poisoning in this population regarding demographics, deaths and worsening indicators in hospitalizations.

Methods:

The frequency of hospitalizations for drug poisoning between 2003 and 2012 was verified using data from the Hospital Information System. The study variables were year, gender, age, place of residence and hospitalization, patient follow-up, main diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, nature of the health establishment and amount related to Intensive Care Unit expenses.

Results:

There were 17,725 hospitalizations due to drug poisoning in children under five, predominantly two-year-old male children. The hospitalizations outside the city of residence occurred in 25% of the cases, with predominance in the Northeastern region. The proportion of deaths in hospitalizations was 0.4%, with a higher number of deaths in the Southeastern region.

Conclusion:

Despite the decrease in the number of hospitalizations in the period, regional disparities remained, which could be attenuated with the provision of specialized attention to drug poisonings in municipalities, expanding the access to a more complex care.

Keywords:
Hospitalization; Poisoning; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Infant; Children; Hospital Information Systems