Injuries and poisonings were the most common reason for children to end up in the emergency department in 2010, accounting for over 7.6 million visits, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported.
There were a total of over 25.5 million ED visits by children under age 18 in 2010, with respiratory disorders being the second most common all-listed condition (6.8 million visits). The next most common reason was nervous system disorders (3.4 million visits), followed by infectious and parasitic diseases (2.4 million) and digestive disorders (1.8 million), according to the AHRQ.
Because the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project – source of the AHRQ data – tracks all of a patient’s listed diagnoses, the body system categories are not mutually exclusive.
