[Epidemiological and clinical aspects of scorpion envenomation in the region of Santarém, Pará, Brazil].
This is a descriptive and prospective study on epidemiological and clinical aspects of 72 scorpion accidents admitted to Santarém Municipal Hospital, state of Pará, Brazil, from February 2000 to February 2001. Only 8.3% brought the animal with them, identified as T. cambridgei. The majority of victims were male (83.3%). The mean age and the time of the medical help were respectively 33.6 +/- 18.3 years and 4.6 +/- 3.2 hours. The parts of the body most affected were the superior members (51.5%). Local symptoms occurred in 91.7% cases and systemic manifestations in 98.6% of the accidents. The local symptoms included: paresthesia in 79.2% cases, pain in 52.8% and edema in 26.4%. Among the systemic manifestations neurological disorders predominated in 97.2%, and the symptom of "electric shock" occurred in 88.9% patients. The most common neurological signs were: myoclonia (93%), dysmetria (86.1%), dysarthria (80.6%), and ataxia (70.8%). The accidents were classified as moderate in 76.4% without any serious cases. The specific anti-venom serum was not administered in 32.7% of the moderate cases, due to non-availability of the anti-venom serum at the time of attendance. The victims of scorpion envenomation notified at Santarém, present a different clinical and regional behavior from previous reports in Brazil and Amazonia regions. The predominantly neurological picture has not previously been described in the Brazilian literature.
Pardal
Pedro Pereira de Oliveira
PP
Disciplina de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias do Departamento de Patologia Tropical, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brasil. citbelem@yahoo.com
Castro
Lívia Correa
LC
Jennings
Erik
E
Pardal
Joseana Silva de Oliveira
JS
Monteiro
Maria Rita de Cássia da Costa
MR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D065008:Scorpion Stings / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012605:Scorpions; D012720:Severity of Illness Index