To observe epidemiological characteristics of acute poisoning, the clinical data on 1,795 cases of acute poisoning who visited emergency rooms of 6 general hospitals, 4 in Seoul City, 1 in Incheon City, 1 in Chuncheon City from Jan. 1981 to Dec. 1981, were collected and analyzed.
The findings obtained were as follows.
1. The incidence of acute poisoning was more common among females than males (M:F=1:1.24) and concentrated in the age group of 20-29 (44.2%)
2. The incidence of acute poisoning showed seasonal variation with the commonest in the summer, but no significant difference with the day of the week.
The highest percentage of the patients (23.7%) visited emergency rooms between 4 P.M. and 8 P.M. and the lowest (8.3%) between 4 A.M. and 8 A.M.
3. The most frequent causative agent of acute poisoning was pesticides (49.6%) and followed by medicinals and chemicals in succession.
4. The kind of causative agent varied with sex, age, season, and motive.
5. As regards motive of poisoning, the majority in all patients was suicides (84.0%), but in children (0-14) it was accidents (87.3%)
6. More than half the patients complained of the imapirment of consciousness on arrival at emergency rooms, and the others nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
7. Almost two-thirds of the patients were discharged within the first day of visit, but 12.1% were treated for 6 days and over.
8. The fatality of acute poisoning was 5.4% with that of herbicide poisoning the highest, 45.5%