At the 18th Turkey Emergency Medicine Congress held by the Turkish Emergency Medicine Association (TATD) between 1-4 December in Antalya, Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine faculty member Prof. Dr. Ayça Açıkalın Akpınar talked about the Toxicology Map of Turkey. prof. Dr. Akpınar said that almost every home a patient uses, forgetting and taking heart medications over and over again, and mushroom poisonings come to the ED as ‘fatal’ cases. prof. Dr. Akpınar noted that the increase in poisonings due to black widow spiders surprised them this year.
In Turkey, 21 percent of sudden deaths in young adults under the age of 40 occur due to suicide or poisoning. The most common types of poisoning are caused by substance abuse, fungi, carbon monoxide, pesticides and even the misuse of heart medications. Moreover, poisonings related to them are quite deadly. Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Prof. Dr. Ayça Açıkalın Akpınar made a scientific presentation on the Toxicology Map of Turkey at the 18th Turkey Emergency Medicine Congress held in Antalya. Answering Demirören News Agency’s questions at the international congress held by the Turkish Emergency Medicine Association (TATD) between 1-4 December, Prof. Dr. Akpınar said, “From the source of livelihood to the rate of use of agricultural chemicals, to the presence of the entertainment sector in the city, all of these factors change the type and factor of poisoning. For example, we see a very intense use of substances in Istanbul, and their poisoning is reflected in the emergency services. In our Adana region. They are also intense in our emergency department. But what surprised us this year is the increase in black widow poisonings,” he said.
“WE ARE ALSO SURPRISED, AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE”
Pointing out that the black widow spider is a species that is not normally found in places where people live, Prof. Dr. Akpınar said, “We are also very surprised, there has been an unexpected increase in black widow poisoning this year. How did we detect this, the patient actually does not know what kind of spider bit him. When we looked at the clinical findings when he came to us, we thought that it was a black widow spider, and several of our patients visually We received feedback, even one of them brought the spider to us. When we had it analyzed in biology, we found that it was a black widow spider. The patient has high blood pressure, sweating, chills, and very serious pain in the sting area. In fact, this pain is not only in the sting area, but spreads throughout the body. It causes a serious poisoning picture that occurs with cramps, backaches, arm pains.Actually, this spider exists all over Turkey, but they generally live in places where people rarely visit. In the highlands, forests, etc. But people somehow come into contact with them by hiking etc. can pass,” he said.
CAUTION USERS OF HEART MEDICINE!
Noting that heart diseases are quite common in our country and thousands of patients in our country use heart medications accordingly, Prof. Dr. Akpınar noted that they frequently encounter cases of poisoning due to these drugs in the emergency departments. prof. Dr. Akpınar said: “Another remarkable case of poisoning is related to cardiac drugs. When we look at cardiovascular drugs, they are actually prescribed to patients due to very common diseases in the society. Drugs for cardiovascular diseases and blood pressure drugs. In every house there is a grandmother, grandmother, or parents over the age of 35-40, may be using these drugs.Patients using these drugs (especially elderly patients) experience poisoning because they forget that they are taking the drug and take their doses over and over again.Even a small overdose of these drugs can be fatal. Even a single tablet can cause severe hypotension and severe poisoning when children take their grandparents’ medicines without realizing it.
“HE IS POISONED WITH MUSHROOM BUT EATS AGAIN”
Explaining that patients who come with mushroom poisoning can be an emergency for the same reason again and again, Prof. Dr. Saying that mountain mushrooms should definitely not be consumed, Akpınar said: “As we know from the past days, mushroom poisonings are common in this period in the autumn period. We encounter mushroom poisonings more frequently around the Black Sea in the west. Because in places with heavy rainfall, people collect mushrooms in the autumn period and unfortunately, they collect mushrooms. There may be acute liver failure or fatal consequences due to the consumption of mushrooms collected from the mountain. There is a belief among the people that ‘we have known them for years, we have been collecting them, they are not poisonous’. But their appearance is so similar that a poisonous mushroom and a non-poisonous mushroom are sometimes called ‘experts’. Our patients come to us with mushroom poisoning, acute liver failure developed; we give the treatment, we send them, the same patient comes to the emergency room again after a few years. “This time, I was absolutely sure, teacher, it was a mushroom I knew.” However, mountain mushrooms should never be consumed. it is erecting.
“BLOWER FISH AND AGRICULTURAL PHARMACEUTICALS FATAL POISONING”
Explaining that puffer fish poisonings also attracted a lot of attention, Prof. Dr. Reminding that there are cases even from Van, which is not a sea, Akpınar said, “This fish is a warm sea fish, but people do not know the appearance of this fish, they can be caught by amateur fishermen’s fishing lines and consumed. Even a very small amount can cause severe poisoning and cause death. “For this reason, our citizens should know the appearance of this fish very well and should not consume this fish,” he said. Noting that poisoning due to agricultural chemicals is also very common in our country, in Southeastern Anatolia, the Mediterranean and the Aegean, where agriculture is common, Prof. Dr. Akpınar continued his words as follows: “The death rate is higher in these poisonings compared to other agents. People are spraying without using protective equipment. They especially try to spray their own field, garden or even the small garden in front of the house with the drugs they have prepared. Breathing with the wind causes poisoning.We see this much more often in amateur sprayers.
CHILD POISONING INCREASED IN THE PANDEMIC
Explaining that children experience the greatest danger in accidental poisoning, Prof. Dr. Akpınar said that child poisoning due to household chemicals increased 6-7 times during the pandemic period. prof. Dr. Akpınar said, “For example, while the number of children who accidentally drink chemicals at home was 2-3 thousand a year during the pandemic, this number increased to 11-12 thousand during the pandemic period. We call chemical agents, that is, corrosive agents, especially when children are at home; they damage the esophagus very much and can be fatal, exposure and numbers are increasing unbelievably,” he said.
STOVE POISONING MOST IN CENTRAL ANATOLIA
Finally, referring to carbon monoxide poisoning due to stove use, Prof. Dr. Akpınar concluded his words as follows: “There is actually a map of Turkey regarding carbon monoxide poisonings. It shows where it is most common and for what reason. It is very common in Central Anatolia and in the inner parts of the West. It is very cold there. The notifications are very intense. It is also very important to inform the public. We encounter serious carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of smoking, as people who do not have a home with heating and use a stove and sleep in the same room, and this can very often lead to fatal consequences.
(DHA)