Epidemiology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Epidemiology, including details on twin studies, statistics, environmental and genetic factors.

Epidemiology of intentional self-poisoning in rural Sri Lanka.

Eddleston M, Gunnell D, Karunaratne A, de Silva D, Sheriff MH, Buckley NA

Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 271, 25 Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka. eddlestonm@eureka.lk

We investigated the epidemiology of intentional self-poisoning in rural Sri Lanka by prospectively recording 2189 admissions to two secondary hospitals. Many patients were young (median age 25 years), male (57%) and used pesticides (49%). Of the 198 who died,156 were men (case fatality 12.4%) and 42 were women (4.5%). Over half of female deaths were in those under 25 years old; male deaths were spread more evenly across age groups. Oleander and paraquat caused 74% of deaths in people under 25 years old; thereafter organophosphorous pesticides caused many deaths. Although the age pattern of self-poisoning was similar to that of industrialised countries, case fatality was more than 15 times higher and the pattern of fatal self-poisoning different.

Published 1 December 2005 in Br J Psychiatry, 187: 583-4.
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