SHORT COMMUNICATION Abstract Background: Toxic exposures in childhood are major health concern. In this hospital-based study, we sought to investigate socio- epidemiological factors contributing to acute pediatric poisoning in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital (KKCTH), a tertiary care hospital for children in Chennai. Children and adolescents less than 18 years of age with diagnosis of acute poisoning during June 2014 to January 2015 were included in the study. Results: During the study period, 10500 children were admitted to emergency department of the hospital; among which, 34 children presented with diagnosis of acute poisoning (0.32% of admissions). Eighteen patients (52.9%) were boys. The greatest proportion of patients (52.9%) aged 1 to 3 years. Regarding the intention of poisoning, 27 cases (79.4%) occurred following unintentional ingestion by children, 5 cases (14.7%) following inadvertent administration of medication(s) by a caregiver and 2 cases (5.9%) following inadvertent administration by a sibling. Children had relatively equal chance of being poisoned with medications (n = 18, 52.9%) and common household agents (n = 16, 47.1%). The most common medicines responsible for the poisonings were neuropsychiatric medicines (n = 6, 17.6%). None of the medications responsible for poisoning had childproof containers. On admission, only 14 children (41.2%) were symptomatic. Fifteen patients (44.1%) required admission to hospital wards and 4 patients (11.8%) required intensive care. The remaining patients only needed close observation for a few hours. All children made complete recovery and there was no mortality. Conclusion: Children especially toddlers of either gender are vulnerable to unintentional exposures and need constant supervision by an adult. Educating caregivers about the fatalities associated with unprotected storage of medications, and dangers of placing hazardous chemicals in the reach of children will reduce a great number of poisoning in children. Keywords: Epidemiology; India; Pediatrics; Poisoning A Hospital-Based Epidemiologic Study on Acute Pediatric Poisonings in Chennai, India 156 clinical presentation, management and outcome for various poisonings in children. However, socio-epidemiologic study on acute pediatric poisoning in India seems to be limited. In this hospital-based study, we sought to investigate socio- epidemiological factors contributing to acute pediatric poisoning in Chennai, in the south eastern part of India. This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital (KKCTH), a 220-bed tertiary care hospital for children in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. This hospital, which functions under the supervision of national board of examinations, enjoys a 13- bed Emergency Department (ED) running a regular postgraduate program in pediatrics and fellowship program in pediatric emergency medicine. Children and adolescents less than 18 years of age presenting to the ED of KKCTH with diagnosis of acute poisoning during June 2014 to January 2015 were included ___________ Toxic exposures in childhood are major health concern with mortality rate of nearly 45000 children per year worldwide (1,2). Acute poisoning is one of the main preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in India and contributes to around 3-6% of pediatric admissions to tertiary care hospitals in the country (3,4). In the majority of cases, poisonous substances are inadvertently ingested at home by children due to their inherent curiosity and exploratory nature (5-7). However, there are also intentional poisoning cases especially in adolescents (2,5). The pattern of poisoning in different regions might vary according to age group, type of exposure, nature of poisons, and social, cultural and demographic factors (5,6). Knowing these factors helps healthcare authorities improve their planning for poisoning prevention programs, adjust hospital beds utilization and upgrade management of antidote stockpiles. Substantial information is available regarding the INTRODUCTION * Correspondence to: Radhika Raman; DCH, DNB. Senior Consultant, Pediatric Emergency Department, Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, The CHILDS Trust Medical Research Foundation, 12 A, Nageshwara Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India. Tel: +91 98 4081 4541; E-mail: doc.rads15@gmail.com Received 28 May 2015; Accepted 12 December 2015 RADHIKA RAMAN * , SENTHIL KUMAR, LAKSHMI MUTHUKRISHNAN Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, The CHILDS Trust Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India How to cite this article: Raman R, Kumar S, Muthukrishnan L. A Hospital-Based Epidemiologic Study on Acute Pediatric Poisonings in Chennai, India. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2015;4:156-60. Acute Pediatric Poisonings in Chennai R. Raman et al. METHODS