Citation

Chan TY. Vet. Hum. Toxico. 1997; 39(6): 372-373.

Affiliation

Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, American College of Veterinary Toxicologists)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9397510

Abstract

Previous epidemiologic studies of poisonings in Hong Kong are regional hospital-or poison information center-based and have focused on either adults or children. This paper reports on the territory-wide hospitalization and mortality rates, comparing medicinal and non-medicinal poisonings in the general population. Between 1980 and 1995, the figures for hospitalizations and mortality due to medicinal (ICD codes 960-977) or non-medicinal (ICD codes 980-989) poisonings were obtained from the Annual Reports of the Department of Health, Hong Kong Government. Rates of medicinal poisonings increased between 1980/81 (57.3/100,000) and 1987/88 (80.9/100,000), but then declined (59.1/100,000) in 1993/94. Rates of non-medicinal poisonings were rather static (49-53/100,000) between 1980/81 and 1988/89, but then declined (22.0/100,000) in 1994/95. Between 1980/81 and 1988/89, rates of fatal medicinal poisonings (0.73-1.31/100,000) were similar to those of fatal non-medicinal poisonings (0.98-1.70/100,000). However, from 1989/90, there was an increase in the rates of fatal medicinal poisonings (1.94-2.80/100,000), although rates for non-medicinal poisonings remained much the same (0.80-1.38/100,000). Hospitalizations due to poisonings are now less common in Hong Kong than before, due largely to a greater decline in non-medicinal poisonings.

Language: en