Drug-related calls received at National Poisons Information Centre, India: A 5-year retrospective record-based study

Background The National Poisons Information Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (NPIC) receives calls related to management of drug overdoses and poisoning. We aimed to identify the nature of drug-related calls (DRC) received by the centre in the period before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods Data on total and DRCs received by the NPIC over a 5-year period (2017 to 2021) were retrieved. Comparisons were made between calls received during equivalent pre-Covid-19 and Covid-19 periods. Results An increasing trend was observed for both total and DRCs during Covid-19 compared to the pre-Covid-19 period. DRCs were 24% of total calls, and 99% of these were made by treating physicians, and the majority were related to unintentional/accidental intake. The DRCs were more for males (57%) as compared to females (41%), and maximum calls were received from the northern and southern regions of India. Calls related to drugs like antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and polypharmaceuticals were higher while for drugs like analgesics, benzodiazepine, thyroxine, and ‘others’ were fewer during the pre-Covid-19 period compared to the Covid-19 period. DRCs for children and adolescents were more compared to other age groups. During the Covid-19 period, there was a decrease in DRCs for infants, while such calls increased for children, adolescents and young adults. Conclusion Both total and DRCs increased during the study period, with a marked increase in calls related to children and adolescents and in the southern region of India during Covid-19 compared to the pre-Covid-19 period.