All around the world, acute poisoning remain a major cause of hospital admission1. The wide availability and easy accessibility to potentially toxic chemicals (which have wide spread use in medicine, industry, agriculture and even in normal daily life) contribute to the ease with which the lay public can get their hands on lethal poisons2. Poisoning has been used by man for murder and suicide as long as recording history, several modes of exposure may be recognized context with poisoning namely:
accidental and suicidal poisoning which cannot be prevented through legislation or preaching occupation exposure by standing exposure resulting from off target drift general public exposure who consume item containing pesticides
Incidence of poisoning, as reported is 13-fold higher in developing countries than in highly industrialized nation. 300,000 people die each year from pesticide self poisoning in the rural developing world4.
This is a pilot study conducted at Belgaum, North Karnataka to make preliminary assessment about poisoning cases etiologies. The aim of the study was finding out the common age group involved and mode of poisoning. Besides this it also attempts to relate with gender and their choice.
The common age group involved is in between 21 to 30 years. Males are more likely affected by poisoning (53%) compared to female (47%). This study serves as pilot project for more detailed retrospective and prospective studies in the future.
Poisoning, North Karnataka
