There has been a significant rise in the number of young children swallowing foreign bodies, and magnets in particular, doctors in London warn today.
In the Archives of Disease in Childhood today (12 May), Mr Hemanshoo Thakkar, of Evelina London Children’s Hospital, UK, and colleagues report on a large rise in cases.
Foreign body ingestion is commonly seen in young children and most objects pass through the gastrointestinal tract without causing any injury, they explain. But certain objects can cause significant harm, such as button batteries and magnets.
Surgeons at a number of hospitals in and around London have witnessed a recent rise in magnet ingestion – a fivefold increase between 2016 and 2020. Of these patients, 42% needed surgery, and 4% of these experienced complications.
There is a statutory requirement in the UK for all magnetic toys to be accompanied by a warning, but most manufacturers do not display these, say the authors.
"Single magnets usually do not require any intervention, but multiple magnets might attract each other from adjacent intestinal loops and entrap the intervening intestine, leading to necrosis and perforation," they write.
"As a regional network of paediatric surgeons, we are extremely concerned with the recent rise in cases. We recommend a strong public health campaign to increase awareness of the dangers of small, powerful magnets, especially those intended for toys, and to work with manufacturers in clearly warning purchasers of the dangers for children."
Thakkar, H. et al. Foreign body ingestion in children: a magnet epidemic within a pandemic. Archives of Disease in Childhood 12 May 2021 doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-322106
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