Childhood Melatonin Poisonings Skyrocket in the Past 10 Years
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The number of children in the United States who unintentionally ingested melatonin supplements over the past 10 years has skyrocketed to the point where, as of 2021, melatonin ingestions by children accounted for almost 5% of all poisonings reported to poison control centers in the United States, data from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) indicate. This compared with only 0.6% of melatonin ingestions reported to poison control centers in 2012, the authors added.
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@namita The largest number of patients who were hospitalized were adolescents who took melatonin intentionally but the largest increase in the rate of exposure was in young, unintentional patients, as Toce observed. Interestingly, the largest yearly increase in pediatric melatonin ingestions — almost 38% — coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.