European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background: Poisoning is a major epidemic of non-communicable disease in the present
century. Poisoning is common in the world including India but modes of poisoning varies as
it may result from the attempt of suicide, homicide and accidents. Present retrospective study
was aimed to analyse deaths due to poisoning at a tertiary care hospital.
Material andMethods: Present study was retrospective study, conducted with medical &
case-records of victims of poisoning whose body was autopsied in the mortuary of tertiary
care hospital.
Results: In this study, of the total of 3275 cases of postmortem, poisoning constituted 433
cases amounting to 13.22%. Most of cases were from the age group of 21-30 yrs (27.48%)
followed by 31-40 yrs (25.17%) & 41-50 yrs (16.4%). Most of cases were males (66.74%) as
compared to females (33.26%). Most of cases survived for less than 1 day period (54.73%) &
had manner of death as suicidal (94.46%). In present study, most common poison used were
organo-phosphorous compounds (64.43%), aluminium phosphide (5.77%), zinc phosphide
(5.77%), corrosive acid poison (5.08%) & carbonates (4.62%). In present study, negative
chemical analysis report (50.35%) were more common than positive chemical analysis report
(49.65%). In present study, common reason for intake of poison were physical illness
(41.11%), marital dispute (20.32%), economic crisis (13.16%), love failure (6.47%) &
accidental (5.54%). Other less common causes were conflict with parents (3.46%), family
dispute (3.46%), mental illness (3%) & academic failure (2.77%).
Conclusion: We noted that male sex, age group from second to fourth decade of their life,
married,low socioeconomic status are at high risk for poisoning.