• Zdravko P Vassilev, Steven Marcus, Thelma Jennis, Bruce Ruck, German Rego, Roberta Swenson, and William Halperin.
• New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
• Vet Hum Toxicol. 2004 Feb 1; 46 (1): 39-42.

AbstractThis study examined age-specific trends in the annual incidence rates of poisoning exposures reported to a regional poison control center over a 5-y period. Data from the poison control center's 1997-2001 computerized case records were combined with age-specific population estimates from the US Census Bureau. Incidence rates of reported poisoning exposures were calculated and evaluated for the following age groups: < 6 y; 6 to 12 y; 13 to 19 y; 20 to 35 y; 36 to 65 y; and > 65 years. Ordinary linear regression analysis revealed a statistically significant decreasing trend in the annual crude incidence rate of poisoning exposures/1.000 population (r2 = .87, slope = -.33 p = .02). Different patterns were observed in the rates of reported poisoning exposures between the 6 age groups. While there was a significant decrease in the rate of reported poisoning exposures in children < 6 y of age or less, and for adults 20-35 and 36-65 y-old, the incidence rate among children 6-12 y, adolescents, and people > 65 y-old showed no significant decreasing trend.

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