Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Poisons, Children and First Aid
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Poisoning occurs when a child comes in contact with a toxic substance. Contact can mean swallowing, inhaling, touching, or injecting a toxic substance.
What are the causes and risks of the injury?
Most of the poisonings reported to poison control centers in the US each year involve children and adolescents. Many involve children less than 6 years of age.
Younger children are at greater risk of poisoning. Children are curious and have poor impulse control. Poisoning in older children and adolescents is more likely to be due to impulsive, risk-taking behavior, such as alcohol poisoning or glue sniffing, or suicide attempts.
Poisons are in many household items. Items children can be poisoned by include:
Certain situations are more risky for children, especially toddlers. These are situations in which the caretaker may not be paying usual attention to the child. This is more likely to happen:
Symptoms & Signs
What are the signs and symptoms of the injury?
Poisons can come from plants, medicines, household chemicals, or illegal drugs. Their symptoms can vary greatly. The signs and symptoms of poisoning can include:
Diagnosis & Tests
How is the injury recognized?
In younger children, the poison taken is usually known. The same may not be true for an adolescent brought comatose to an emergency department by his or her friends.
Prevention & Expectations
What can be done to prevent the injury?
To prevent poisoning:
Adolescents who are depressed may overdose with medicine to attempt suicide. Some medicines that may be readily available to them include acetaminophen and tricyclic antidepressants. In large amounts these can cause death. Parents living with an adolescent who is depressed or at risk for suicide should take special efforts to make sure that all medicines in the home are securely stored in a locked cabinet.
Treatment & Monitoring
What are the treatments for the injury?
Call the local poison control center to seek medical assistance. These centers are operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Keep the number and address in an easy-to-reach place. The number for the local poison control center can be found at www.poison.org, the website of the National Capital Poison Center or www.AAPCC.org, the official website of the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
If a child has swallowed poison:
At the hospital, treatment for a poisoning can include:
Whole-bowel irrigation involves putting large volumes of polyethylene glycol-electrolyte solution into the stomach by drinking or by a tube until the fluid coming out the rectum is clear. It is only used for poisonings with iron supplements, delayed-release medications or drugs like cocaine or heroin.
What are the side effects of the treatments?
Vomiting can occur after taking activated charcoal. The vomit can be inhaled into the lungs causing aspiration pneumonia or infection. Use of magnesium citrate can result in fluid and mineral imbalance, dehydration and vomiting. Whole-bowel irrigation can cause vomiting, stomach cramps or bloating.
What happens after treatment for the injury?
A child who has taken poison may need to be admitted to a hospital. Most children recover fully from being poisoned. In some cases, there could be serious injuries to the mouth, esophagus, or lungs. These children will require long-term follow-up care from a healthcare professional. Prevention is the key to avoid poisoning in the future.
Attribution
Author:John Wegmann, MD
Date Written:
Editor:Harrow Rago, Susan, MS, RD
Edit Date:03/01/00
Reviewer:Gail Hendrickson, RN, BS
Date Reviewed:03/20/00