TOXICOLOGICAL EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH PARACETAMOL MANAGED BY A TOXICOLOGY INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE CENTER

Eventos toxicológicos associados a paracetamol atendidos por um centro de informação e assistência toxicológica

Authors

  • Eduarda Carolina do Nascimento
  • Camilo Molino Guidoni
  • Edmarlon Girotto Universidade Estadual de Londrina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17695/rcsne.vol22.n2.p133-143%20

Keywords:

Poisoning, Pharmaceutical preparations, Acetaminophen, Descriptive epidemiology

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the toxicological events associated with paracetamol managed by a
Toxicological Information and Assistance Center. It was a cross-sectional, retrospective study based on cases
of toxicological events associated with the drug paracetamol attended by the Toxicological Information and
Assistance Center of Londrina (CIATox/Londrina). The data was extracted from the Brazilian Poison Data
System (DATATOX) from 2017 to 2021. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social
Sciences (SPSS), version 19.0. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the State
University of Londrina. Between 2017 and 2021, CIATox/Londrina received 685 cases of toxicological
events associated with paracetamol, of which the vast majority (75.0%) were women who had attempted
suicide (83.2%) as their main circumstance. Most cases (37.7%) occurred in the afternoon on Saturdays and
Sundays, the days of the week with the highest number of cases (15.7% and 16.2%, respectively).
Paracetamol was combined with other substances in 156 (22.8%) cases. Almost 80.0% of the cases had
clinical manifestations, with 36.4% requiring hospitalization (minimum of one and maximum of 37 days).
Most cases were categorized as mild (57.7%), and four (0.6%) deaths were identified among all the cases.
The antidote N-acetylcysteine was administered to 37.1% (N=255) patients. In general, toxicological events
associated with paracetamol occurred predominantly in women in the afternoon and on Saturdays and
Sundays, and involved suicide attempts. It is, therefore, essential to develop campaigns that encourage the
correct use of medication and other public health campaigns, especially for those individuals who are more
susceptible to suicide attempts.

Published

2024-08-29

How to Cite

Nascimento, E. C. do, Guidoni, C. M., & Girotto, E. (2024). TOXICOLOGICAL EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH PARACETAMOL MANAGED BY A TOXICOLOGY INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE CENTER: Eventos toxicológicos associados a paracetamol atendidos por um centro de informação e assistência toxicológica. Revista De Ciências Da Saúde Nova Esperança, 22(2), 133–143. https://doi.org/10.17695/rcsne.vol22.n2.p133-143

Issue

Section

Ciências da Saúde/Artigo Original