Epidemiol Health.  2017;39:e2017040. 10.4178/epih.e2017040.

Epidemiology and risk factors of voluntary pesticide poisoning in Morocco (2008–2014)

• Nabih Z
• Amiar L
• Abidli Z
• Windy M
• Soulaymani A
• Mokhtari A
• Soulaymani-Bencheikh R

• KMID: 2406644
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2017040

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
To determine the epidemiological profile and risk factors of voluntary poisoning by pesticides.
METHODS
A retrospective analysis was conducted of all cases of voluntary poisoning by pesticides registered at the Anti-Poison and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco between January 2008 and December 2014.
RESULTS
During the study period, 2,690 cases of acute pesticide poisoning were registered. The region of Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer accounted for the largest proportion, with 598 cases. The average age of the patients was 24.63±10.29 years. The sex ratio (female-to-male) was 0.45. Adults and teenagers were most affected by this type of poisoning, with 1,667 cases (62.0%) and 806 cases (30.0%), respectively. Suicide attempts accounted for 98.4% of the cases (2,469 cases). Pesticide poisoning occurred more often in urban zones (64.8%). Insecticides were incriminated in 14.0% of cases, with a mortality rate of 4.2%. Among the 1,635 patients for whom the outcomes were known, 154 died, corresponding to a mortality rate of 5.7%.
CONCLUSIONS
Voluntary intoxication by pesticides presents a real scourge that affects public health, and in this study, we developed an epidemiological profile of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, this study has limitations in that it did not evaluate the impact of the socioeconomic and psychological factors that are important contributors to this type of poisoning.

Keyword

Poisoning; Voluntary; Epidemiology; Pesticide; Risk factors; Morocco

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Epidemiology*
Humans
Insecticides
Morocco*
Mortality
Pesticides
Pharmacovigilance
Poisoning*
Psychology
Public Health
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors*
Sex Ratio
Suicide
Insecticides
Pesticides