Epidemiological Study of Organophosphorus Poisoning at a Tertiary Care Hospital of Central Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Poisoning is an acute medical emergency. Organophosphorus (OP) poison, being easily available and relatively cheaper, is mostly used by people for suicide. It is a major health problem worldwide also a major cause of suicide in Nepal. The purpose of this study was to assess the overall profile of patients with Organophosphorus (OP) poisoning.

Methods: A Prospective hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on patients of organophosphorous poisoning in the emergency department (ER) of College of Medical Sciences and Teaching Hospital during one year period from 1^st January 2020 to 31^st December 2021. Data analysis was done using SPSS-16 software. Categorical variables were presented in the form of tables with frequency and percentage. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistical tools.

Results: A total of 123 OP poisoning cases attended in the emergency department of College of Medical Sciences over a period of one year. The overall female to male ratio was 1.19:1. Most poisoning occurred in the age group 15-25yrs. Majority of the patients were married and were students. Oral route (87.83%) was the most common route of administration. The main reason was family and personal issues. Majority of the patients stay 3-7 days in the hospital. The mortality of poisoning was 3.25%.

Conclusions: Majority of the intentional poisoning occurred in the female, married & students of younger age group. The main reason was family and personal issue.