Mehmet GÜN
Comprehensive Medicine - 2026;18(1):106-106
We would like to thank the author of the letter for their interest in our study entitled "A Retrospective Evaluation of Acute Poisoning Cases in Emergency Departments: Focus on Suicide Attempts by Poisoning" and for the constructive and thoughtful comments. These remarks provide an opportunity to further clarify our findings and the context of our study center. As discussed in our manuscript, the observed incidence of poisoning should be interpreted in light of local and institutional characteristics. Our hospital serves a mixed rural-urban population in a relatively small district, and this structure likely influenced the overall case distribution. The analysis included patients who were formally registered and diagnosed with acute poisoning in the emergency department database. Differences in case definitions and coding practices across healthcare settings may also contribute to variations between studies. Regarding clinical outcomes, suicide attempts in our cohort were predominantly related to drug ingestion and were associated with a greater need for intensive monitoring and care. In contrast, adverse outcomes in non-suicidal cases were mainly related to delayed presentation after toxic exposure. We appreciate the author's suggestions regarding prospective study designs and structured psychiatric assessments. These constructive comments offer valuable direction for future research, and we believe that such academic exchanges contribute meaningfully to the interpretation of current findings and to the development of the field.
