From the Pediatric Department.
Pediatric Pulmonology Unit.
Pediatr Emerg Care. 2021 Oct 1;37(10):502-506. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002111.
Hydrocarbon intoxication in children still occurs, although it is preventable. It may cause a variety of clinical manifestations, involving the respiratory system and the nervous system. Our goal was to investigate all cases of hydrocarbon poisoning in children hospitalized in the Hadassah-Hebrew university hospitals in Jerusalem due to exposure to hydrocarbon in 2 decades.
We retrieved the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of all children who were admitted to our hospitals because of hydrocarbon intoxication in 2 decades.
One hundred seventy-two children were hospitalized, primarily because of ingestion of kerosene. In most cases, the poisons were stored in a bottle or other easily accessible container. Boys were more likely than girls to be hospitalized. Most of the children were of Arab origin in families with more than 3 children. Coughing, vomiting, and a decrease in conscious state were common at presentation, followed by fever and dyspnea. The clinical course was usually mild to moderate and self-resolving. Some children were treated with oxygen, fluids, and antibiotics. The main result of hydrocarbon poisoning was chemical pneumonitis, and many had pathological chest x-rays. Only one severe case resulted in death.
Hydrocarbon intoxication results in a variety of clinical manifestations and can be life-threatening. Most cases of poisoning could have been easily prevented if the substances were kept out of the reach of children.
尽管可以预防，但儿童仍会发生碳氢化合物中毒，它可能导致多种临床表现，涉及呼吸系统和神经系统。我们的目的是调查由于暴露于碳氢化合物而在 20 年间入住耶路撒冷哈达萨希伯来大学医院的所有儿童烃中毒病例。
我们检索了 20 年间因烃中毒而住院的所有儿童的临床和社会人口统计学特征。
172 名儿童因摄入煤油而住院，毒物主要储存在瓶子或其他容易拿到的容器中。男孩比女孩更有可能住院。大多数孩子来自有 3 个以上孩子的阿拉伯家庭。就诊时常见咳嗽、呕吐和意识状态下降，随后出现发热和呼吸困难。临床病程通常为轻至中度，可自行缓解。一些儿童接受了氧气、液体和抗生素治疗。烃中毒的主要结果是化学性肺炎，许多患儿的胸部 X 线有病理改变。仅 1 例重症患儿死亡。
碳氢化合物中毒会导致多种临床表现，并可能危及生命。如果将这些物质放在儿童够不到的地方，大多数中毒病例本来是可以很容易预防的。
