A Clinico-Epidemiological Study of Pyrethroid Poisoning

Open Access

Abstract

Introduction: Bangladesh, with its agriculture-based economy, has long been known to have a high incidence of poisoning from agrochemical compounds. These are mainly organophosphorus, carbamate, and pyrethroid poisoning. There is also a recent trend of increased use of non-organophosphorus compounds like pyrethroids. Methods & Materials: A descriptive observational study was carried out in the all-medicine wards of Chattagram Medical College Hospital from May 2017 to April 2018. A total of 222 cases fulfilled the criteria of the case definitions of agro-chemical poisonings. Out of them, only 38 cases were confirmed as Pyrethroid Poisoning cases. Data were recorded from the day of admission up to the date of discharge by the investigator herself. Result: By sample identification, 38 cases were confirmed as pyrethroid poisoning. Most patients were aged 12–19 years (mean age 25.34 ± 10.83) and were mainly farmers or students (each 29%). Patients from outside Chattogram had a significantly longer ingestion-to-admission time than those from within the city (p=0.006). All presented with nausea and hypersalivation, commonly with abdominal pain. Laboratory abnormalities included neutrophilic leukocytosis (13 cases), hyperglycemia (5), elevated ALT (6), and raised creatinine (3). Among 35 cases with documented outcomes, 33 (94.3%) improved. Conclusion: Synthetic Pyrethroids after oral ingestion can produce significant morbidities and rare cases of mortalities, when patients were treated late in the hospital, and also if there was the presence of any comorbidities like stroke, hypertension, and respiratory failure.