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Sex Differences in Pediatric Poisonings by Age Group: a Toxicology Investigators’ Consortium (ToxIC) Analysis (2010–2016)

Journal of Medical Toxicology volume 16, pages 423–443 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective

To review pediatric poisonings evaluated at the bedside by medical toxicologists and reported in the ToxIC registry, by sex and age group.

Methods

Pediatric poisoning cases age ≤18 years, reported between January 2010 and December 2016, were reviewed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe study variables by age group and sex.

Results

A total of 12,699 cases were analyzed. There were 7517 females and 5182 males. Those < 2 years old represented 12.5% of the study group (n = 1584), 17.2% were 2–6 years old (n = 2178), 8.6% were 7–12 years old (n = 1097), and 61.7% were 13–18 years old (n = 7840). The most common primary reasons for encounter were intentional pharmaceutical with 4900 females and 1836 males; intentional non-pharmaceutical with 952 females and 1213 males; unintentional pharmaceutical with 539 females and 644 males; and unintentional non-pharmaceutical with 435 females and 593 males. Overall, pharmaceuticals were the most commonly involved agents, including analgesics (20.9% of cases) and antidepressants (11% of cases): 27.8% of females and 10.7% of males were reportedly exposed to an analgesic.13.7% of females and 7.0% of males were reportedly exposed to an antidepressant. Among 1584 cases under 2 years, there were 747 females and 837 males; among 2178 cases aged 2–6 years, there were 954 females and 1224 males; among 1097 cases aged 7–12 years, there were 555 females and 542 males; and among 7840 cases aged 13–18 years, there were 5261 females and 2579 males. Death was reported in 0.7% of the cases: 20 females and 18 males. 6.1% of cases were managed with intubation: 421 females and 351 males.

Conclusions

Sex-based characteristics of poisonings varied by age group among pediatric poisoning presentations reported to the ToxIC registry and further research is needed to determine implications for education and prevention efforts.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Anita Kurt, PhD, Director of Research Operations at Lehigh Valley Health Network Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, for her oversight of this project; Lexis Laubach, Research Assistant, Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, for her assistance with manuscript preparation. The authors appreciate the leadership and support of ToxIC leadership including Jeffrey Brent, MD, PhD, Diane P. Calello, MD, and Paul M. Wax, MD. The authors would like also to acknowledge the efforts of Shae Duka, BS, for her statistical analysis and Lexis Laubach, BS, for her editorial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network/University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine, Cedar Crest Blvd & I-78, Allentown, PA, 18103, USA

    Gillian A. Beauchamp, Matthew D. Cook, Robert D. Cannon, Kenneth D. Katz, Jennifer Yoon, Brittany J. Ely & Marna Rayl Greenberg

  2. Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network/USF Morsani College of Medicine, Cedar Crest Blvd & I-78, Allentown, PA, 18103, USA

    Gillian A. Beauchamp, Matthew D. Cook, Robert D. Cannon & Kenneth D. Katz

  3. Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 N Lake Ave, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA

    Jennifer L. Carey

  4. Network Office of Research Innovation, Lehigh Valley Health Network/USF Morsani College of Medicine, Cedar Crest Blvd & I-78, Allentown, PA, 18103, USA

    Hope Kincaid

  5. Department of Pediatrics, Lehigh Valley Health Network/USF Morsani College of Medicine, Cedar Crest Blvd & I-78, Allentown, PA, 18103, USA

    Emily Pollack & Richard J. Mazzaccaro

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  1. Gillian A. Beauchamp
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  2. Jennifer L. Carey
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On behalf of the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC)

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gillian A. Beauchamp.

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Sources of Funding

This study, in part, was funded by an unrestricted grant, the Dorothy Rider Pool Trust for Health Research and Education community foundation grant (number 2017 1573-015).

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Supervising Editor: Mark B. Mycyk, MD

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Beauchamp, G.A., Carey, J.L., Cook, M.D. et al. Sex Differences in Pediatric Poisonings by Age Group: a Toxicology Investigators’ Consortium (ToxIC) Analysis (2010–2016). J. Med. Toxicol. 16, 423–443 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-020-00781-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-020-00781-9

Keywords

  • Pediatrics
  • Medical toxicology
  • Poisonings
  • Sex differences