Frequency of Caustic Ingestion in Children Referred to Pediatric Medical Center



N Jamshidi N ; M Hosseiny M ; P Rahmani PARISA
Source: Journal of Babol University of Medical Sciences Published:2025

Abstract

Background and Objective: One of the most dangerous pediatric emergencies is the ingestion of caustic substances, which causes serious damage to the digestive and respiratory systems. The highest prevalence of this incident is seen in toddlers, especially under the age of three. The present study was conducted to investigate the frequency of caustic ingestion in children referred to pediatric medical center. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 128 children who had ingested caustic substances and referred to pediatric medical center over a 2-year period. Data involving age, gender, type of caustic substance, location of the incident, diagnostic and therapeutic measures, time of referral to medical centers, location of involvement in the gastrointestinal tract, and degree of endoscopic mucosal injury were collected and reviewed using electronic medical records. Findings: Of the 128 children who referred with caustic ingestion, 97 hospitalized children were studied, which included 45 boys (46.4%) and 52 girls (53.6%). The mean age of the children was 2.90±2.89 years. 47 patients (45.5%) underwent endoscopy, 22 underwent surgery after endoscopy, and 31 patients were treated without any specific procedure. Among the patients who underwent endoscopy, the most common injury categories were grade I and grade IIa injuries (19 each). The number of patients with alkaline substance ingestion was significantly higher than that of acidic substance ingestion (80 vs. 17) (p<0.05). The location of the accident was at home in 90 (92.8%) of the patients. 35 patients (36.1%) had esophageal injury, 57 (58.8%) had no burns, and 5 (5.1%) had burns in the pharynx, mouth, and stomach. As the patients' age increased, the burn site was closer to the mouth, but this was not statistically significant. Furthermore, the average time between swallowing and referral to medical centers was 2 hours and 45 minutes. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that most caustic ingestions in children occurred at home and involved alkaline substances and required interventional treatments, including endoscopy and surgery. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.