Hong Kong Poison Information Centre: Annual Report 2008

Abstract

Objective To report the poisoning data of Hong Kong Poison Information Centre (HKPIC) in 2008. Methods From 1st January 2008 to 31st December 2008, all poisoning cases received by HKPIC were retrieved from its database (DATOX & PIC-MS) for analysis. Results 4,029 poisoned cases were analyzed. There were 1,755 male patients (43.6%) and 2,262 female patients (56.1%). Nearly two-thirds of them were between 20 and 59 years old. Common causes of exposure were suspected self harm/suicidal attempt, unintentional exposure and abusive use. Sedatives, household products, paracetamol, and ketamine were common poisons exposed and non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics were involved in about one-seventh of the poisoning cases. The majority of the patients were managed conservatively, with 6.0% and 5.9% treated by decontamination and antidotes respectively. Most cases had uneventful recovery; about 1% of the poison exposure resulted in death and about 5% of the exposure had major outcomes. Conclusions This annual report provides updated epidemiological information on poisoning in Hong Kong in 2008 and highlights some changes in comparison with our previous reports. The increase in abusive substance poisoning, in particular ketamine, requires further attention.