Acute intentional and accidental poisoning with medications in a southern Brazilian city.

The expansion of the pharmaceutical market in the 20th century led to important changes in the consumption of medications worldwide. The objective of the current study was to analyze acute intentional and accidental poisoning with medications according to factors related to the individual, the poisoning, and the drug involved. This was a cross-sectional study that collected secondary data on all cases of acute poisoning with medications reported from 2003 to 2004 by the Poison Control Center at the Regional University Hospital in Maringá, Paraná State, Brazil. We studied a total of 546 cases of acute poisoning with medications. Females predominated among intentional cases (79.8%), and the 0-9-year age bracket was the most common among accidental cases (51.9%). The most frequently involved drugs were those acting on the central nervous system (57.2%), predominantly those requiring controlled prescriptions, especially among the intentional cases (66.2%). The results demonstrate the characteristics of acute poisoning from medications in Maringá, confirming the need for preventive measures that contribute to the rational use of medications.