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

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to analyse enquiries received by the UK National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) regarding poisoning in adolescent patients.

Design: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: 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.