Incidence and sociodemographic characteristics of exogenous poisonings in children and adolescents in Brazil from 2013 to 2023

Objective: To describe the incidence and lethality of exogenous poisoning in children and adolescents in Brazil from 2013 to 2023. Methods: This ecological study used data from DATASUS. Incidence rates, lethality and proportions were calculated. Trend analyses were performed using the Joinpoint Regression Program. Results: There were 535,321 exogenous poisoning cases in the period, with an increasing incidence rate in all regions. The South region had the highest rate for most of the period and the highest growth trend. Exogenous poisoning were more frequent in the 1–4 and 15–19 age groups, with a predominance of medications and suicide attempts. Of 2,000 deaths, most were due to drugs of abuse and medications; however, agricultural pesticides were the most lethal (2.1%). Medications, metals, pesticides used in public health, and drugs of abuse had the highest growth trends (APC~ 12). Among the circumstances, suicide attempts (APC= 16.1) and abuse (APC= 13.1) had the highest growth rates. For lethality, growth in violence/homicide (APC= 79) and a decline in habitual use (APC= -34.3) stood out. Conclusions: The observed epidemiological profile reinforces the need for improved adolescent mental health care, stricter medication and pesticide regulations, and investments in data quality to ensure effective exogenous poisoning prevention strategies in Brazil.