OBJECTIVE:
to describe the epidemiological characteristics and spatial distribution of acute anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning cases in the city of Recife Pernambuco State, Brazil, 2007-2010.
METHODS:
this was a descriptive study of cases reported on the Notifiable Diseases Database (Sinan) to obtain their epidemiologic profile andperform geoprocessing.
RESULTS:
549 cases were identified. The highestfrequencies occurredamongfemales (60.3%), the 15-29 age group (42.3%) and brown-skinned individuals (95.3%). "Ratpoison" was the mainpoisoning agent found (92.2%) and attempted suicide was the main reason for poisoning (79.4%).
CONCLUSION:
anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning is a serious public health problem with a high proportion of cases concentrated in youth, women and brown-skinned people. The finding that the vast majority of cases were related to attempted suicide indicates the need for prevention actions focusing vulnerable populations.
Poisoning; Carbamates; Organophosphate Poisoning; Descriptive Epidemiology; Suicide Attempt
