An Epidemiological Survey of Scorpion Sting in Five Counties of North Khorasan Province, Iran, From 2007 to 2018

Scorpion sting (SS) is an important public health hazard that may cause a potentially lethal condition especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Although scorpions are locally abundant in some parts of North Khorasan Province, SS has been poorly studied in this region. The current survey was carried out to investigate the epidemiological aspects of SS in North Khorasan Province, Iran.

This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study collected and analyzed the data of SS cases admitted to medical centers of different counties in North Khorasan Province including Bojnurd, Shirvan, Esfarayen, Jajarm, and Raz from 2007 to 2018. The descriptive statistical analyses were carried out with SPSS software (version 24), and logistic regression analyses were performed using the STATA software.

During the study period, 540 SS cases were admitted to hospitals, of whom 44 persons were hospitalized, and nearly half of them were male (50.2%). Most SS cases occurred indoors (58.4%). The mean age of the patients was 35±18.0 years. Furthermore, the annual number of SS cases varied with an increase in 2013. The most common site of the sting was in the hands (41.8%) followed by feet (40.5%). The most common time for SS occurrence was 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. (38%). The majority of victims admitted to the hospital less than 3 hours after the sting (84.6%) and all of them were recovered. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that the risk of hospitalization in people who had more than one bite was significantly higher than those who had been bitten once.

Given the low average number of SS cases reported in the area compared to the south of Iran, SS does not seem to be an important health issue in this area except for Jajarm County.