Visiting one's grandparents is a common tradition during the holidays. With the festive season upon us, a paediatrician has issued a stark warning about the dangers of accidental poisoning in kids due to the “granny's purse syndrome.” Dr. Meghan Martin, who goes by @Beachgem10 on TikTok, recently shed some light on the overlooked risk to children.
What is ‘granny's purse syndrome’?
“If you are spending time with family for the holidays, it’s important to know about something called ‘Granny Syndrome’ or ‘Granny’s Purse Syndrome,’” Martin said in her TikTok video, adding, “This is when young kids get into their grandparents’ medications that are not secured properly.”
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Explaining the topic further, the doctor went on to share the “many reasons” why it could happen. “One of them is that grandparents are not used to having kids around,” Martin said. “Often their medications are on low shelves or in their purses or in medication containers that are not child resistant,” she added.
“Around 20% of poisonings in young kids are related to accidental ingestions of grandparents’ medications,” she added. Her reference is true according to a recent study shared on Consumer MedSafety. “Some of these medications can be really dangerous,” said Martin, adding that even a small dose may lead to poisoning in children.
{{/usCountry}}“Around 20% of poisonings in young kids are related to accidental ingestions of grandparents’ medications,” she added. Her reference is true according to a recent study shared on Consumer MedSafety. “Some of these medications can be really dangerous,” said Martin, adding that even a small dose may lead to poisoning in children.
{{/usCountry}}“Because kids’ body size is so small in comparison to an adult body size, even one pill can be a toxic ingestion for these kids,” Martin continued. “They can be pain pills, antidepressants, heart medications, blood pressure medications or diabetes medications,” she added.