Tox Info Suisse: Poisoning by drugs particularly frequent
The 2015 statistics of Tox Info Suisse show that drugs are responsible for most poisoning and deaths.
Tox Info Suisse, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, publishes its 2015 annual report, which includes the adjusted poisoning statistics and information on the severity of intoxications. In 2015, 38,406 consultations were carried out, over 35,300 consultations on poison contacts and 3,100 of a prophylactic nature.
A good 17,100 poisoning incidents involved children, mostly of preschool age. Almost three quarters of all poisonings occurred with medicines, household products or plants. Twelve of the fourteen deaths were due to drug poisoning, and two others were due to chemicals. Of the serious cases, 72% were caused by medications and 13% by stimulants and drugs.
Young children particularly often affected
55.0% of exposures were to children, majority preschool age (82.4% of all exposures to under-16s occurred to children <5 years of age). In terms of sex distribution, there was a slight preponderance of boys among children (52.9% vs. 47.1% girls) and of women among adults (59.5% vs. 40.5% men). 88% of the more than 24,000 unintentional (accidental) intoxications occurred in the domestic environment; of the more than 5000 intentional intoxications, the largest number (72%) occurred in the context of suicide attempts.
The largest proportion of severe intoxications (287 adults, 13 children or adolescents) was found in poisonings with drugs, mushrooms, and medications.
Current toxicological problems
At the same time as publishing the statistics, Tox Info Suisse points out some current toxicological problems:
- Caffeine-containing foods and beverages are popular; however, caffeine is increasingly consumed in pure form as powders or tablets, which increases the risk for poisoning.
- With the increased prescription of opiate painkillers, the number of intoxications with these drugs has also risen in recent years. In contrast, the number of cases involving opiates used in the substitution treatment of opiate addicts has remained constant.
- After long believing that the drug GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate) did not lead to physical dependence, counseling is increasing to individuals going through severe GHB withdrawal.
Additional information is available on the Website of Tox Info Suisse to find.
