Self-poisoning in older adults: patterns of drug ingestion and clinical outcomes

Methods: a retrospective observational study of patients admitted via the emergency department due to drug overdose between 2004 and 2007. Results: during the study period, there were 8,059 admissions, including 4,632 women (57.5%). This included a subgroup of 361 patients (4.5%) who were > 60 years of age. This subgroup was more likely to require hospital stay > 1 night, odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 4.3 (3.6-5.5, P < 0.0001), transfer to a critical care area = 3.8 (1.1-13.0, P = 0.0340) and had higher mortality = 4.8 (1.1-22.1, P = 0.0463). A higher proportion of older patients required transfer to a psychiatric unit (P < 0.0001) or to a general medical ward (P < 0.0001) than younger adults. Conclusions: older adults that presented to hospital after drug overdose had ingested different drugs than younger patients, possibly due to different prescribing patterns, and had a poorer outcome. The use of drugs associated with significant toxicity should be avoided in older patients at risk of self-harm.