Pesticide poisonings in South Korea: findings from the National Hospital Discharge Survey 2004-2006.

H J Kim, E S Cha, Y Ko, J Kim, S D Kim, W J Lee

Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.

Human & experimental toxicology 2012 Aug

filter terms:

Pesticide poisoning stands as a major public health issue worldwide. The objective of this study was to examine the epidemiologic characteristics of pesticide-related hospitalizations in South Korea. Data from the Korea National Hospital Discharge Survey were analyzed to describe the epidemiologic characteristics of pesticide poisoning among hospitalized patients from 2004 through 2006. Pesticide-related hospitalizations were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes. National estimates of pesticide-related hospitalizations were calculated using sampling weights for number of hospitalizations. A total of 25,982 pesticide-related hospitalizations were estimated during the years 2004-2006, yielding an average annual pesticide-related hospitalization rate of 17.8 per 100,000 population in South Korea. Age-specific rates for pesticide-related hospitalization increased with age, with the highest rate noted among those aged 70 or above. The majority of pesticide-related hospitalization was cases of intentional poisoning in rural areas. Seasonal variation in the rate was observed, with summer being the highest among both men and women. Pesticide-related hospitalization is prevalent and demonstrates demographic and seasonal and regional variations. More effective strategies to reduce pesticide-related hospitalizations are required in South Korea.

Citation

H J Kim, E S Cha, Y Ko, J Kim, S D Kim, W J Lee. Pesticide poisonings in South Korea: findings from the National Hospital Discharge Survey 2004-2006. Human & experimental toxicology. 2012 Aug;31(8):751-8