<b>Epidemiological profile of pesticide intoxication victims in emergency care</b> - DOI: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v7i3.6480

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to investigate the profile of victims of exogenous pesticide intoxication at an emergency hospital. This is a descriptive and retrospective quantitative study, using a sample of 388 exogenous intoxication victims from Fortaleza, Ceará in 2005. Data were collected through a research form from the Institution’s CEATOX. From the total of 196 subjects studied, (50.5%) were women (50.5%), the predominant age group was 15-24 years of age. The number of victims was 157 (40.5%), and most of them came from the State Capital (69.3%). The main reason for intoxication was suicide attempt (77.3%). A large majority of these episodes occurred at the victims’ homes (83.5%) and, up the end of data collection, 42.0% of them were discharged after cure. In view of the results, the need for policies to promote health to prevent intoxication was evident, as well as the need for strategies to hinder the purchase of pesticides.