Background: Intoxication (or poisoning) that necessitates hospitalization r
emains an important source of morbidity in children.
Objective: To determine changes, during an 11-year period (1987-1997), in t
he incidence of hospitalization due to intoxication among children in Washi
ngton State and circumstances of ingestion, agents used, hospital length of
stay, charges, and mortality. Methods: A computerized database of all hosp
ital discharges (Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System [CHARS] d
atabase) in Washington was used. Cases included all children younger than 1
9 years with a primary or secondary diagnosis for an intoxication or with a
n external cause of injury code (E code) for an intoxication from 1987 to 1
997.
Results: There were 7322 hospitalizations (45 per 100 000 children per year
); the annual rate significantly decreased during the study period. Most pa
tients (75%) were teenagers. Sixty-five percent were female. Pharmaceutical
agents were used in 80% of cases. Analgesics were the most commonly used (
34%), followed by antidepressants (12%) and psychotropic drugs (8%). Nonpha
rmaceutical agents were more prevalent in children younger than 12 years th
an in teenagers. Self-inflicted intoxication was the most frequent cause id
entified by E codes (47%). Median length of stay was 1 day, and median hosp
ital charges were $2096. Mortality was low (0.2%) and did not change signif
icantly over time.
Conclusions: Acute intoxication continues to be an important cause of hospi
talization in children. The type of agent involved did not change significa
ntly over time. Teenage girls continue as the highest risk group for suicid
e attempt from ingestions. Self-inflicted intoxications were associated wit
h,higher costs, length of stay, and readmissions. Although preventive measu
res and development of poison centers have contributed to decrease mortalit
y from acute intoxication in children in the last 50 years, efforts need to
be targeted toward suicide prevention, especially among teenage girls.