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Adult prescription drug use increased pediatric exposures, poisonings
The number of adults using prescription drugs is increasingly causing a rise in pediatric exposures and poisonings, according to recent study results published in Pediatrics.
“These events are associated with considerable health care utilization, both in terms of ED visits and hospital admissions,” researchers wrote. “Our findings support the need to strengthen intervention efforts around prescription drug ingestions and to develop prevention strategies that are both age- and medication-specific.”
The study included measures of monthly pediatric exposures and poisonings using the National Poison Data System and prescriptions written for adults using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys for 2000 to 2009. Exposures and poisonings from oral hypoglycemics, antihyperlipidemics, beta-blockers, and opioids were measured in children aged 0 to 5 years, 6 to 12 years and 13 to 19 years. ED visits, serious injuries and hospitalizations were analyzed.
Researchers found that adult prescriptions were significantly associated with exposures and poisonings in all children. The strongest association was seen for opioids. The greatest risk was for children aged 0 to 5 years, followed by those aged 13 to 19 years.
Hypoglycemics (60.1%) and beta-blockers (59.7%) were the most common causes of ED visits. Serious injuries and hospitalizations were mostly caused by opioids (26.8% and 35.2%, respectively) and hypoglycemics (19.5% and 49.4%, respectively).
Lindsey Burghardt
“Increased availability of prescription medications intended for adults is contributing to increased poisonings in children to these medications,” Lindsey Burghardt, MD, of Children’s Hospital Boston, told Infectious Diseases in Children. “Both adult providers and pediatricians should be aware of the dangers related to adult prescription medications and should council patients as appropriate. In families with young children, medications should always be kept in a high place that is inaccessible to the child and kept in child-resistant packaging. Medications should not be stored on countertops or other easy to access location, or kept in containers that children can easily open. In families with teenagers, parents should be aware that their children may also attempt to access these medications. the medications should be made as inaccessible as possible, and parents should talk with teenagers about the dangers of taking medications that are not prescribed for them.”
Disclosure: One researcher received a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
