Poisoning in adolescents in the UK: a review of enquiries to the National Poisons Information Service.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyse enquiries received by the UK National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) regarding poisoning in adolescent patients. A retrospective analysis of telephone enquiries regarding patients aged 10-18 years inclusive to the UK NPIS between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2022. Data analysed included patient demographics, nature of the poisoning, agent(s) involved and poisoning severity. A total of 29 750 enquiries were received, of which 66% were regarding female patients. The largest proportion overall involved intentional self-poisoning. These enquiries have significantly increased since 2019, particularly in patients aged 10-12 (2019: 71 (2.2%) vs 2022: 181 (4.3%); p<0.0001) and 13-15 (796 (24.3%) (2019) vs 1429 (33.9%) (2022); p<0.0001). Pharmaceutical agents were most often implicated, with paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs being most common. Enquiries involving these agents have significantly increased since 2019. Recreational drugs were only involved in 4.3% of enquiries. Most cases (87.6%) were of low toxicity, but 44 deaths were recorded during the study. Self-poisoning in adolescent patients is an important issue in the UK. NPIS enquiries regarding intentional self-poisoning have risen significantly since 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly involve younger patients aged 10-12 and 13-15 years. Easily accessible medicines are most often involved. With improved recognition and understanding of this problem, initiatives can be targeted to those most at risk.