en Pediatrics Pediatrics Original Article Original Article <span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height:14pt"><b><i><span style="color:blue">Background</span></i></b><i><span style="color:blue">:</span></i> Caustic ingestion remains a preventable but persistent cause of morbidity in children. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with caustic substance ingestion in children.</span><br> <span style="line-height:14pt"><b><i><span style="color:blue">Methods:</span></i></b> In this case&ndash;control study, 122 children aged <18 years were included. Cases comprised 54 children with caustic ingestion referred to Mofid Children&rsquo;s Hospital between 2016 and 2022, while 68 randomly selected hospitalized children without esophageal burns served as controls. Sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics were collected using a validated checklist and compared between groups.</span><br> <span style="line-height:14pt"><b><i><span style="color:blue">Results:</span></i></b> Most cases were aged 1&ndash;5 years (40, 74.1%) and involved girls (22, 40.7%). Acid ingestion accounted for 31 cases (57.4%). Domestic problems were significantly more common among cases than controls (40.7% vs. 22.1%; P=0.029; OR=2.429, 95% CI: 1.103&ndash;5.350). Higher family income (>30 million IRR) was associated with lower odds of caustic ingestion (OR=0.412, 95% CI: 0.187&ndash;0.907). Most incidents occurred at home (72.2%) and while parents were present (90.7%). Child-resistant safety caps were absent in 92.6% of cases, and 61.1% involved substances stored in their original containers; these variables were not compared with controls.</span><br> <span style="line-height:14pt"><b><i><span style="color:blue">Conclusion</span></i></b><i><span style="color:blue">:</span></i> Domestic problems and lower family income were significant risk factors for pediatric caustic ingestion. Socioeconomic support, parental education, safer household storage, and stronger safety regulations may help prevent these potentially avoidable injuries.</span></span></span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><span style="color:red"></span></b></span></span> caustic ingestion, corrosive ingestion, accidental ingestion, esophageal burn 653 658 http://caspjim.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-3972-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Nasibeh Khaleghnejad Tabari nasibehkhalegh@gmail.com 100319475328460057904 100319475328460057904 No Pediatric Surgery Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Rosminasadat Moulaie rosemina.molaei@nhs.net 100319475328460057905 0009-0005-3407-4440 No Pediatric Surgery Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mehdi sarrafi mehdicalls@yahoo.com 100319475328460057906 100319475328460057906 No Pediatric Surgery Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Gholamreza Ebrahimi Saraj gh.saraj@gmail.com 100319475328460057907 100319475328460057907 No Pediatric Surgery Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Amirhossein Hosseini drh.sbmu@gmail.com 100319475328460057908 100319475328460057908 No Pediatric Gastrointestinal Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Arameh Abbasian arameh.93@gmail.com 100319475328460057909 100319475328460057909 No Pediatric Surgery Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ahmad Khaleghnejad Tabari khaleghnejad@gmail.com 100319475328460057910 100319475328460057910 Yes Pediatric Surgery Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran