Acute poisonings of children in Oslo. A one year prospective study.

A one year prospective study of all children under 15 years of age presenting for acute poisoning in Oslo is reported. There were 181 admissions in 179 children, of which 97 (54%) were boys, giving an annual incidence of 2.3%. All children survived without sequelae. Most poisonings were accidental and only two suicidal attempts were recorded. Of all poisonings 68 per cent occurred between the age of 1 and 2 years. The dominating toxic agents were drugs (44%), tobacco (22%) and petroleum products (9%). Most poisonings were mild and only 7 (4%) classified as severe. Seventy-two per cent of all children were admitted within the second hour after the ingestion of the toxic agent. Therapy should therefore be directed towards emptying the stomach with emetics or gastric lavage, unless corrosives or petroleum products are ingested. Childhood poisonings still call for better preventive measures since the toxic agent was found inappropriately stored in 86% of the accidental poisonings.