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POISONING  IN  BABIES  AND  CHILDREN

 

Children's boundless curiosity and their tendency to put objects in their mouths makes poisoning in the under-six age group very common.

 

• The majority of poisoning in children is minor, with no treatment required, because the substance is non-toxic or the amount swallowed is small. However, certain substances, such as iron and some anti­depressants are very dangerous. 
• Accidental poisoning usually happens at home. It may occur when you are visiting a house where no children live because the family may be less vigilant. 
• Any disruption in the usual routine at home, such as a new baby or moving house, increases the risk of poisoning. This is because the child may be less supervised and harmful substances may be more accessible in the chaos. 

Common dangers

 

A poison is any substance that is harmful when swallowed or absorbed. Children are usually poisoned from consuming a dangerous substance.

 

Household products: assume that all household cleaning products are dangerous. Your child may eat them or spray them into her face. Paint thinner/remover, pesticides, petrol, paraffin and metal polishes should also be kept out of the reach of children.

 

Pills and medicines: anti­depressants, paracetamol and iron tablets are just some of the potentially lethal drugs adults may keep at home.

 

Cosmetics: even something as seemingly harmless as hair remover may be dangerous if it is taken by mouth.

 

Household and garden plants: dangerous species include arum lily, daffodil bulbs, deadly nightshade, foxglove and rhubarb leaves.

 

Tobacco and alcohol: just one cigarette can be lethal to a toddler if eaten. If a child drinks the dregs of an alcoholic drink left in a glass, she may be seriously affected.

 

Poison-proofing your home

 

• Keep all medicine in a locked cupboard. Never leave then on a bedside, table or clipboard. 
• Keep all alcohol perfumes cosmetics, detergents and bleaches out of reach.  
• Buy medicines in child resistant containers but still keep them out of reach because  the container are not 100 percent safe.  
• Keep all products in their original containers.  Don’t decant them into milk jug or drink bottles. 
• Limit the amount of the medication in the house, always throw any that are out of date. 
• Keep ashtray and waste bins empty. 
• Don’t keep medicines in your handbags ( a child raiding a handbag is a common cause of poisoning)
• Never call a medicine a sweet to entice your child to take it.
• Teach your child not to eat leaves, berries and mushrooms. Be aware of which plants are poisonous and remove them from your garden. 

Signs of poisoning

 

A child who has been poisoned may suddenly develop unusual symptoms. These include:

• Staggering about as if he is drunk.
• Burns around his lips and mouth.
• Stains of a substance around his mouth
• A strong smell of a substance on his breath.
• Finding an opened or spilt bottle of pills.
• Being very sleepy before his usual nap time. 

What to do

 

If you realize that your child has swallowed poison, stay calm. Remember the substance is probably harmless, especially if your child has only tasted it and spat it out.

 

• If your child is well and not distress, ring your GP or local accident or emergency department. Tell them exactly what your child has taken and they may able to call the local poisons information unit to establish the correct management. 
• However if your child seems unwell you need to call an ambulance immediately.  If you know exactly if how much of a substance your child has taken, write it down so that you can tell the doctors, Tell try to find some of the left-over substance to take to the hospitals. 
• Do not try to make your child sick. she may breath in her vomit, which can cause more problems that the original poisoning. This is especially important if she has ingested any corrosive substance, such as bleach, which will do as much damage coming back up as it did going down. 
• The doctor will want to know the time that the accident happened and the age and weight of your child. 

Hospital treatments

 

A child who has ingested a poisonous substance may not require treatment, but if there is uncertainty about the quantity taken, overnight observation in hospital may be recommended

 

Charcoal is sometimes given to a child as a drink. This absorbs the ingested poison in the stomach and therefore lessens the amount the child absorbs into the bloodstream. The problem is that charcoal tastes awful and most children refuse point blank to drink it. 

Occasionally, a stomach wash-out may be performed. This is very rare and, as with medicine to make a child sick, has not been proven to help reduce the effects of the poison. This treatment may be performed for iron poisoning because the effects are very difficult to reverse once it has been absorbed into the blood. 

Some drugs, such as iron and paracetamol, do have an antidote. The levels of the drug in the blood are measured four hours after swallowing it and then the antidote is given if the levels are high. 

If a child has taken a corrosive substance, she may need an oesophagus examination to assess the internal damage. 

Serious Side-effect

 

The effects of poisoning are often minor, but certain substances can be more damaging:

 

• Corrosive products, Such as dishwashing powder, burn the gullet which can cause permanent scarring and problems with swallowing. 
• Some anti-depressant may cause heart rhythm problems, and paracetamol may cause liver failure. 
• Some poison affect the nervouse system, causing a loss of balance, drawsiness confussion, fitting and sometimes lead to unconsciousness.

For  More  Information:  Please  consult  your  physician  on  your  next  visit.