Abstract
Acute poisoning with organophosphorus compound (OPC) agents is a major clinical problem globally, with thousands of deaths occurring every year. The desire of this study is to determine the pattern of OPC poisoning deaths. It was a descriptive study. All consecutive deceased in the department of Forensic Medicine with history and clinical evidence of organophosphorus poisoning deaths during the study period of 18 months were considered eligible for participation in the study. The present study shows that OPC compound poisoning deaths constitute about 11% of the total number of cases autopsied. The maximum numbers of patients were between 21- 30 years with male predominance, rural background and belonging to lower socioeconomic status. Highest number of poisoning cases are encountered in the daytime (6AM – 6PM). Stomach pain and family problem were the common causative factor in OPC poisoning. Most of the cases were survived more than 48 hours. To avoid such high incidence, exposure and death due to OPC poisoning, marketing of insecticides to the public should be strictly controlled by law. Farmers and other people involved in spraying of insecticides must be educated regarding prophylactic measures.
