Author/Authors :
Mohammadi Gholamreza نويسنده Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran , Babakhanian Masoudeh نويسنده Social Determinant of Health Research Center, Semnan University 0f Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran Babakhanian Masoudeh , Allameh Yasaman نويسنده Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center,
Addiction Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Mazandaran University
of Medical Sciences, Sari, Mazandaran, Iran , Akrami Faezeh Sadat نويسنده Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Islamic Azad
University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran , Molavi Nader نويسنده Substance Abuse and Dependence Research Center, University
of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran and
Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan,
Iran
Abstract :
Context Symptoms of methadone poisoning, as one of the most
dangerous types of poisoning, are very serious in children. Objectives
The aim of this study was to describe causes and clinical symptoms of
methadone poisoning in children admitted to hospitals in Iran. Data
Sources Relevant studies published in national and international
journals before January 29, 2016 were identified by studying the
available databases, including PubMed, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar,
Scopus, SID, Iranmedex, MagIran, and Irandoc. Study Selection After
excluding duplicate, irrelevant, and low-quality articles, relevant
papers were entered into the meta-analysis. The prevalence, mean, and
standard deviation of methadone poisoning symptoms in children were
statistically analyzed, using Stata version 11, and causes of methadone
poisoning were presented in tables. Data Extraction Studies with unknown
sample sizes, abstracts without access to full text, articles with
quality assessment scores below 15.5, and studies carried out on
non-Iranian populations were excluded from the meta-analysis. Results
During the initial advanced search, 1594 articles were identified. After
quality assessment, 12 papers were found eligible for the final
systematic review and meta-analysis, based on the inclusion and
exclusion criteria. The reported symptoms included drowsiness, vomiting,
apnea, cyanosis, seizure, ataxia, and delirium. In the meta-analysis,
prevalence of symptoms in referred patients was estimated at 44% (0.95%
confidence interval, 0.288 to 0.609). The causes of poisoning in
children included accidental feeding by parents, storage of drugs in
inappropriate containers, parental addiction, and low educational level
of parents. Conclusions It is important to keep methadone in a suitable
container away from children. Also, it is essential to focus on
educating parents on health issues of their children.
