Table 3.
Leading agents in the 63 poison-related fatalities involved in the study.
| Exposed agents | Fatalities† N = 63 | Survivors N = 1449 | Total N = 1512 | OR (95% CI) | p value |
| Hypnotics and sedatives | |||||
| Yes/No | 3‡/60 | 489/960 | 492/1020 | 0.10 (0.03 – 0.32) | < 0.01* |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | |||||
| Yes/No | 1/62 | 12/1437 | 13/1499 | 1.9 (0.3 – 15.1) | 0.43 |
| Digoxin | |||||
| Yes/No | 1/62 | 7/1442 | 8/1504 | 3.5 (0.4 – 28.6) | 0.28 |
| Morphine | |||||
| Yes/No | 1/62 | 9/1440 | 10/1502 | 2.6 (0.3 – 20.7) | 0.38 |
| Paraquat | |||||
| Yes/No | 31/32 | 12/1437 | 43/1469 | 116.0 (54.6 – 246.3) | < 0.01 |
| Glyphosate | |||||
| Yes/No | 4/59 | 37/1412 | 41/1471 | 2.6 (0.9 – 7.5) | 0.09 |
| Organophosphates | |||||
| Yes/No | 7/56 | 68/1381 | 75/1437 | 2.5 (1.1 – 5.8) | 0.02 |
| Carbamates | |||||
| Yes/No | 4/59 | 23/1426 | 63/1449 | 4.2 (1.4 – 12.5) | 0.01 |
| Blasticidin-S (Fungicides) | |||||
| Yes/No | 2/61 | 1/1448 | 3/1509 | 47.5 (4.2 – 530.7) | < 0.01 |
| Potassium cyanide (KCN) | |||||
| Yes/No | 2/61 | 1/1448 | 3/1509 | 47.5 (4.2 – 530.7) | < 0.01 |
| Detergents | |||||
| Yes/No | 4/59 | 105/1344 | 109/1403 | 0.8 (0.3 – 2.3) | > 0.95 |
| Rodenticides | |||||
| Yes/No | 1/62 | 17/1432 | 18/1494 | 1.4 (0.2 – 10.4) | 0.54 |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | |||||
| Yes/No | 6/57 | 36/1413 | 42/1470 | 4.1 (1.7 – 10.2) | < 0.01 |
*Fisher's exact test was performed for analyses of all agents except for hypnotics and sedatives, for which the Pearson chi-square test was used.
†There were four fatalities involving exposure to two agents: paraquat and carbamates; organophosphates and carbamates; detergents and rodenticides; hypnotic and sedative drugs and CO.
‡One of three fatalities committed suicide by two methods – self-injuries (hanging and wrist-cutting) and ingestion of hypnotics and sedatives. This case died in the intensive care unit on the day of poisoning.