Table 2.
Demographics of patients with paracetamol poisoning
| Pre-change | Post-change | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 1703 | n = 1844 | n = 3547 | |
| Age (years) median (range) | 32 (1–95) | 31 (1–98) | 2 (1–98) |
| Blood paracetamol (mg l−1) median (range)* | 37 (0–587) | 30 (0–660) | 32 (0–660) |
| Admitted n (%) | 1060 (62.2) | 1285 (69.3) | 2345 (65.9) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 34 (57.4) | 33 (60.2) | 34 (58.9) |
| Discharged n (%) | 643 (37.8) | 569 (30.7) | 1212 (34.1) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 30 (59.4) | 29 (58.0) | 30 (58.7) |
| Presentation times | |||
| 0–8 h n (%) | 1071 (62.9) | 1077 (58.1) | 2148 (60.4) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 32 (59.7) | 30 (61.5) | 31 (60.6) |
| >8–24 h n (%) | 177 (10.4) | 188 (10.1) | 365 (10.3) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 28 (62.1) | 30 (62.2) | 29 (62.2) |
| >24 h n (%) | 92 (5.4) | 92 (5.0) | 184 (5.2) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 32 (57.6) | 35 (56.5) | 34 (57.1) |
| Staggered n (%) | 309 (18.1) | 435 (23.5) | 744 (20.9) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 36 (50.8) | 34 (54.7) | 36 (53.1) |
| Unknown n (%) | 54 (3.2) | 62 (3.3) | 116 (3.3) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 37 (57.4) | 42 (54.8) | 40 (56.0) |
| Deliberate self-harm n (%) | 1483 (88.2) | 1535 (83.8) | 3018 (85.9) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 32 (59.7) | 31 (61.9) | 31 (60.8) |
| Accidental n (%) | 198 (11.8) | 296 (16.2) | 494 (14.1) |
| Median age (years) (% F) | 34 (47.5) | 38 (47.4) | 36 (47.6) |
Figures in brackets are 95% CIs or % in the patient group.
*
For statistical analysis paracetamol concentrations below the level of detection for the laboratory have been treated as zero.