Panorama epidemiológico de las intoxicaciones en México

Annually, intoxications and poisonings in Mexico are cause of around 13,600 hospital discharges that originate 34,900 days of hospital stay. Because of the intoxications 1,400 people die, 87% adults and 13% children. 72% of the cases were unintentional and 28% correspond to suicides. In the case of the adult, the mortality for unintentional intoxication occurred in first place by medication intake (21.6%), the inhalation of toxic gases (20.4%) occupied the second place, and the exposure to pesticides (13.9%) the third place. In children, the first place was the inhalation of toxic gases (41.8%) followed by medication intake (18.3%) and the exposure to pesticides (13.1%). In general the intoxications occurred with more frequency in men (71%), in the ages between 21 to 30 years old (24%), and the place in which they happened most frequently was home (33%). Regarding the occupation, the agricultural and industry workers were the most affected. Although intoxication by medications is the method most frequently used in the suicide intents (46%), the most lethally was the pesticides intake.