Types of Poisoning Agents Used in Patients Admitted to Medical Department of Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi (Pakistan) from 2011 to 2015

Background: The choice of poisoning agent depends on a number of factors like the geographic area, socioeconomic status, educational status and easy availability of a specific kind of poison. Thereby, the sound knowledge of the type and clinical picture of the poison is very important for its proper diagnosis and prompt treatment on emergency basis. To assess the types of poisoning agents used by patients admitted to Medical Department of Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study which was done on 285 patients who were admitted to Medical Department of Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi with history of poison ingestion from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2015. Data was collected retrospectively and variables such as age, gender, year of reporting to hospital, residence, and type of poison were entered on a predesigned Performa. Data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results: The study showed that organophosphate compounds are the most frequent cause of poisoning (40.4%), followed by corrosives (15.8%) and wheat pill (14%). 67.7% of the population belonged to younger age group (11 to 30 years) while 52.6% of the population admitted consisted of males. Conclusion: Organophosphate poisoning is the most frequently used poisoning type and their use is largest in the younger population. The situation can be improved by decreasing the chances of occupational exposure, addressing the reasons of self-poisoning, and improving the training of medical and paramedical staff in poisoning management at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of hospitals.