Epidemiology of poisoning in the New Territories South of Hong Kong

Little is known about the incidence and pattern of poisonings in Hong Kong. Hence, adults (subjects aged > or = 15 years) and children (subjects aged < or = 14 years) hospitalized in the Princess Margaret Hospital in 1994 with ICD codes of 960-977 (medicinal poisonings) or 980-989 (non-medicinal poisonings) were studied. This is the main general hospital with a 24-hour emergency department for the 0.68 million people living in the New Territories South. Sex and age specific rates per 100,000 population were calculated. The incidence of poisoning in 1994 was 113.5/100,000. The incidence was higher in males than in females (130.0 vs 96.4/100,000). Poisoning was more common in adults than in children (128.8 vs 44.9/100,000). Subjects with medicinal poisonings were predominantly young females and hypnotics/sedatives were the main agents involved. In contrast, males aged 35-64 years predominated in non-medicinal poisonings, which were mostly related to alcohol. In children, medicinal poisonings were more common than non-medicinal poisonings (24.9 vs 20.2/100,000). All of the nine deaths were adults.