A Prospective Study of Poisoning Severity Score among Acute Antipsychotic Poisoned Cases Admitted to Menoufia Poison Control Center (MPCC) Throughout One Year

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt

Abstract

Introduction:  Antipsychotics rank in the top five substance classes involved in human exposures. Overdose of antipsychotic medications is common.
Aim of the work: to study antipsychotic drug poisoning cases that were admitted to MPCC during one year as regarding: socio demographic pattern, their clinical manifestation, investigation and outcome according to poisoning severity score (PSS). Patients and Method: Patients complaining of antipsychotic drug overdose admitted to MPCC from 1st October 2012 to 30th September 2013 were included. The socio-demographic and clinical data were collected from each patient in a designed clinical toxicological sheet. The studied cases were classified according to poisoning severity score. Results: The total patient's number was 60 patients. Females outnumbered males. Cases 33.3% below 10 years old were males, while females above 40 years old constituted 50.2%. Accidental poisoning was in males below age of 10 years from rural side, on the other hand 75% of females exposed to suicidal mode mainly from urban area. Regarding (PSS); most of cases were of moderate degree and the least were of severe and fatal degrees. Palpitation and abnormal movements were the commonest symptoms. Sinus tachycardia was the most prominent ECG changes seen in 20% of cases. ICU admission was indicated for 16.7% of cases. Improvement has occurred in 40% of cases, while only one case died.Conclusion and Recommendation: Significant relation was found between PSS and poison history as regard Co-ingestion and patients on antipsychotic therapy. Cases with moderate severity toxicity had palpation and abnormal movements.  Acute antipsychotic overdose seldom results in death.  Therefore it is recommended to improve awareness of physician about appropriate pharmacologic treatment of psychiatric problems.

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