Abstract
Background:
Suicidal attempts are a global problem and their rate of incidence is increasing day by day. This study aimed to elucidate the patterns of suicidal poisoning cases presenting in three tertiary care government hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods:
In this retrospective observational study, past data records of 627 suicidal (poisoning) cases of the three tertiary care hospitals of Karachi from a period of January 2016 to December 2016 were evaluated to see patterns of suicidal cases. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 via Chi-squared test.
Results:
Majority of the cases (36.4%) belonged to the 9-25 years’ age group. Mean age of the cases was 25.31 ± 9.92. Females (57.3%) considerably outnumbered males (42.7%). The greatest number of cases reported was from Southern district of Karachi (23%) followed by West (21.5%), central (20.9%) and East (11%) reported mainly at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. The most common poisoning agent used for suicidal attempts was insecticide (40.2%), followed by rodenticide (19.9%). Majority of patients were examined on the same day of attempting suicide (95.5%), majority were in conscious state (76.2%). Admission record for most cases was unmentioned. (66.3%)
Conclusion:
Majority of the cases presented at three tertiary care government hospitals who attempted suicide were young female adults mainly from South district of Karachi followed by West, Central and East Karachi. Pesticides, specifically, insecticides and rodenticides, were the most commonly used poisoning agents used for suicide. Majority of cases were brought at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre in the conscious state.
Lubna Riaz, Riaz Ahmed Shahid, Ashhad Mazhar Siddiqi, Muhammad Rameel Riaz, Mahreen Umer Zubair, Abdul Rafay Shaikh, Ansarullah Khan, Raazia Maryam, Ramsha Riaz. (2020) Patterns of Suicidal Poisoning Cases in Three Tertiary Care Government Hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan, The Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry, Volume 9, Issue-2.
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