Epidemiology and regional differences of acute poisonings of eight cities in Gyeonggi-do province in Korea using data from the National Emergency Department Information System of Korea

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to analyze the differences in epidemiological aspects and clinical courses of acute poisonings in each region of the Gyeonggi-do province in Korea. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed data from the National Emergency Department Information System of Korea. We retrospectively reviewed cases of acute poisonings between April 2006 and March 2015 recorded at 13 emergency departments in eight different cities of Gyeonggi-do province in Korea. The differences in the incidence, age distribution, causative agent, and clinical course of poisonings among regions were the main outcomes measured. RESULTS: The proportion of poisonings in the ≤9 age group was high in Yongin (17.44%) and that in ≥65 age group was high in Gwangmyeong (21.76%). The proportion of cases involving carbon monoxide was high in Ansan (8.82%) in patients hospitalized and the proportion of cases involving pesticides was high in Pyeongtaek (52.78%) in patients admitted to the intensive care unit. The admission rate of poisoned patients was high in Osan (36.02%). CONCLUSION: In this study, differences in the characteristics of poisoned patients between 8 cities were noted. Therefore, hospitals need to arrange treatment resources for poisoned patients according to the characteristics of the specific region. The results of this study may serve as evidence for new strategies to prepare for the acute poisonings in hospitals.