2024/04/02
High Area Deprivation Index Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Button Battery Ingestion in a Pediatric Cohort
This investigation delineates a pivotal association between socioeconomic inequities, quantified via the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and an elevated incidence of button battery ingestion in pediatric populations, highlighting a profound public health issue. The results indicate that children residing in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are at an increased risk of sustaining severe injuries from the ingestion of button batteries, which could lead to elevated morbidity and mortality rates. The study urgently calls for immediate diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to avert critical health complications and delineates the complex pathophysiology underlying button battery injuries. For clinicians and healthcare practitioners, particularly those within pediatrics and emergency medicine, this manuscript is indispensable. It provides deep insights into the ramifications of socioeconomic disparities on health outcomes, fosters the refinement of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, and champions preventive initiatives. The authors advocate for intensified parental awareness, the redesign of battery products to enhance safety, and the formulation of healthcare policies that promote equity, aiming to curtail this escalating health challenge.