Exogenous poisoning in Tocantins - Brazil: a retrospective study from 2017 to 2021

Exogenous intoxication occurs due to the interaction with some chemical substances that lead to the appearance of varied signs and symptoms, from topical exanthema to severe systemic complications, hemorrhages, shock, coma and death. Therefore, it is important to report cases to epidemiological surveillance for the implementation of practices and actions that lead to their prevention. Thus, the objective was to analyze the compulsory notifications for exogenous intoxication in the Brazilian Northeast from 2014 to 2017. For that, a descriptive, retrospective and quantitative study was developed from cases reported in the National System of Diseases and Notifications (SINAN) in the Northeast region of Brazil. A total of 101,845 cases of exogenous intoxication were reported, with a greater predominance among: women (52.74%); brown race/color (61.42%) and age group from 20 to 39 years (37.88%). The drug was the main cause of intoxication with 35,646 cases (34.99%). The suicide attempt stood out in the circumstances studied (24.54%). The acute clinical criterion was the most relevant with 54,836 cases and the most observed clinical course was cure without sequelae (65.61%). There were no records for the following variables: Ethnicity (27.90%); Education (20.33%); Toxic agent (19.10%); Clinical evolution (30.10%) and Circumstance (23.84%). Thus, it was possible to verify that exogenous intoxication is an investigation event of extreme relevance to public health. This fact suggests the need for preventive actions and health education for the population of the region.