Clinical and Laboratory Findings and Prognosis of Snake and Scorpion Bites in Children under 18 Years of Age in Southern Iran in 2018-19

Background:

 Biting is one of the major medical and social problems in many tropical and subtropical regions, including the Middle East. Identification of clinical signs and other factors in children and adolescents is important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and laboratory symptoms and prognosis of snake and scorpion bites in children under 18 years.

This retrospective descriptive study was performed on 60 bite patients with an age range of one month to 18 years in Ali-Ibn-Abitaleb hospital of Zahedan, Iran. Demographic data, bite characteristics and clinical symptoms were recorded from files withdrawn from hospital data center. Frequency of studied variables was expressed as percentage.

From all patients 32 (53.3%) were male and 28 (46.7%) were female with mean age of 9.73 ± 4.26 years. The most children with scorpion or snake bite were male gender, older than 10 years, more happened in summer, represented mostly by pain, swelling in the area, hematuria (58.3%), and hepatic enzymatic abnormalities. 95% of patients had complete recovery without complications and only 5% recovered with complications. Most of them took less than an hour to reach the clinic.

Conclusion:

 Due to the high prevalence of scorpion bites in specific seasons and the lack of specificity of clinical signs and symptoms, it is necessary to treat patients in case of high-risk bites.