Age of the younger Tox Patients

There is a general rule regarding toxicology patients. Generally fro age 0 - 3 we see lots of accidental exposures to toxic substances. This is the toddler that gets his / her hands on mom's or grandpa's medications and gobbles them down or the kid that drinks bleach or some other substance. These are usually accidental exposures.

Children at the ages 4 or 5 - 12 this is a relatively a calm period for accidental exposures or intentional poisonings. Any of exposures in this age group the physician must consider medical conditions that require medications and possible interactions of the medications or too much of a given medication or possibly child abuse, either by neglect or by munchausen by proxy.

Children at ages from 12 or 13 and older and above have toxic exposures by suicide attempts or accidental overdoses in drug abuse. Teens start experimenting with drugs at these ages and also some teens attempt suicide by pills. The physician has to be aware of these trends and make sure to fully investigate all of these possibilities when the patient presents to the emergency department.

This is toxicology!