Characteristics and trends of acute poisoning in emergency departments: a single-center retrospective study in Zunyi, China (2021-2024).

BACKGROUND

Acute poisoning remains one of the leading causes of emergency department admissions, hospitalizations, and preventable mortality worldwide. To gain an in-depth understanding of the clinical characteristics of acute poisoning and provide a basis for formulating precise prevention and control strategies, this study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics and trend changes of acute poisoning admitted to the emergency department of a hospital in Zunyi City from 2021 to 2024.

METHODS

This study retrospectively collected basic data on acute poisoning cases admitted to the emergency department of a tertiary general hospital in Zunyi City from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2024. A descriptive analysis was performed on multiple characteristics, including age, gender, regional distribution, spring, and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 3,146 acute poisoning cases were admitted, 2,789 valid cases were obtained, with an effective rate of 88.65%. The three most common poisoning types were drug poisoning (1,192 cases, 42.74%), pesticide poisoning (611 cases, 21.91%), and chemical poisoning (593 cases, 21.26%). Ages were mainly concentrated in the 10-20 and ≥ 60 years age groups, and there was a statistically significant differences in the age composition of different types of acute poisoning (χ 2 = 365.831, p < 0.001). The number of female patients (1,604 cases) was higher than male patients (1,185 cases), and the gender difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 42.068, p < 0. 001). The incidence had obvious seasonal characteristics, with the highest number of cases in winter (830 cases, 29.76%), and the difference in seasonal distribution was statistically significant (χ 2 = 473.396, p < 0. 001). There was no statistically significant difference in regional distribution (χ 2 = 11.702, p = 0.470), but the number of cases in county areas was the highest (421 cases, 15.10%). Temporal trends showed that the number of drug poisoning cases increased significantly in 2022 while chemical poisoning cases decreased, and both pesticide and food poisoning cases peaked in 2023. In terms of clinical outcome, 91.43% (2,550 cases) of patients were cured or in stable condition at discharge, with pesticide poisoning having the highest mortality rate (2.6%), followed by drug poisoning (0.7%).

CONCLUSION

Among the acute poisoning cases collected in this study, drug poisoning was the main type and showed an upward trend. The high-risk groups were the aged 10-20 and ≥60 years groups, and females, with the highest incidence in winter and no significant difference in regional distribution. Therefore, we should strengthen public education activities, enhance prevention and control for key populations, promote rational drug use, strengthen problem-solving strategies for proper drug storage, and improve the drug management and supervision system.