"Late presenters" after paracetamol self poisoning

Accepted for publication 28 June 1998 The popularity of paracetamol as a drug for self poisoning has increased dramatically since the early 1980s12; nowadays almost 50% of episodes of self poisoning presenting to hospi tal involve the ingestion of paracetamol or paracetamol containing drugs.35 It is estimated that about 70 000 episodes of paracetamol self poisoning occur each year in Britain.6 Although serious morbidity and deaths are rare,6 7 these usually result from late presentation, which reduces the effectiveness of available antidotes.8 9 The epidemiology of paracetamol self poisoning has not previously been de scribed in detail in relation to recorded delays in presentation for treatment. We studied, retrospectively, all episodes of paracetamol self poisoning occurring at either of the two acute hospital units in Nottingham during the first six months of 1996. These included patients seen only in the accident and emergency department, as well as those admitted for in patient care

Drug overdose · Emergency department · Ingestion · Injury prevention · Poison control · Presentation (obstetrics) · Psychiatry · Self poisoning · Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Protection · Emergency Medicine · Epidemiology · Internal Medicine · Liver Disease and Transplantation · Medicine · Poisoning and overdose treatments · Surgery · Pediatrics

• Use of paracetamol for suicide and non-fatal poisoning in the UK and France

  D Gunnell, Keith Hawton et al.•Journal of Epidemiology and…•1997

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