Acute Petroleum Intoxication in Children: A Prospective Study on Clinical Profile of Toxicity and Therapeutic Efficacy of Combined Inhaled and Parenteral Corticosteroids.

Petroleum ingestion results in one of the most frequent acute unintentional intoxications that affects children in developing nations. Despite being very common, the literature is somewhat poor, with specific studies focused on acute pediatric petroleum toxicity in developing countries. Meanwhile, the use of parenteral steroids in their management is still controversial. The objectives of this study were to update and expand the understanding of the clinic-epidemiological profile of petroleum toxicity among children and to monitor the effectiveness of combined inhaled and systemic corticosteroids in managing critical respiratory distress following such toxicity. This was a cross-sectional observational prospective study on children (under 12 yr old) with acute petroleum exposures admitted to Alexandria Poison Center, which is part of a tertiary university hospital in Egypt. It lasted for 9 mo, from January 1 to 2022 September 30. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected and analyzed. Cases with deteriorating respiratory distress were managed by adding parenteral corticosteroids and antibiotics to the supportive treatment measures. The study involved 181 children with acute petroleum exposure. The male-to-female ratio was 2:1. The mean age was 2.91 ± 2.17 yr. Kerosene was the petroleum agent in 58.6% of cases. The obvious rapid resolution of the clinical and radiological findings in all cases of respiratory distress (34 cases) who received combined steroid therapy was reported. The combined use of inhaled and parenteral corticosteroids, in addition to antibiotics, in the management of clinically or radiologically diagnosed cases of respiratory distress following acute petroleum toxicity has dramatic effects on their outcomes.