Epidemiology of Poisoning Cases at Lumbini Medical College, Nepal: A 5‐Year Retrospective Study

TL;DR

This study analyzed 402 poisoning cases over five years at a Nepali hospital, finding that pesticide self-harm among young women was most common, often linked to family conflict.

Contribution

The study provides novel epidemiological data on poisoning patterns in a low-resource Nepali hospital setting.

Findings

Females aged 25–44 were most affected, with pesticides as the primary poison.

Self-harm due to family conflict was the leading cause of poisoning.

Most patients received psychiatric consultation despite low mortality.

Abstract

Poisoning is a major global public health problem, disproportionately burdensome in low‐resource healthcare settings. The objective of this study was to gain epidemiological insights into poisoning cases at Lumbini Medical College and Teaching Hospital over a period of 5 years.

A retrospective cross‐sectional analysis was performed of hospital records and 402 poisoning cases admitted to Lumbini Medical College between January 2019 and May 2024 were analyzed descriptively using SPSS V.27.0. The study meticulously documented a wide range of data, such as patient demographics, types of poisons, contexts for poisoning, clinical presentation, and medical outcomes.

Of 402 cases, females predominated (61.2%, n = 246), with a median age of 26.5 years (IQR: 18.2–39.2). Pesticides, particularly organophosphates, were the leading agent (57.7%, n = 232), with self‐harm as the primary reason (70.9%, n = 285), often linked to family conflict. Poisoning peaked in the evening, notably among females aged 25–44 years (42.3%, n = 170). Mortality was low (0.2%, n = 1), with 68.7% of patients receiving some form of psychiatric consultation.

Poisoning primarily involved young, married females using organophosphorus pesticides for self‐harm, often due to family conflict and mental health issues, with most receiving psychiatric consultation.

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