[Scorpion puncture: medical treatment and home remedies].
BACKGROUND
The scorpion puncture is a medical urgency. The greater frequency happens in Jalisco, Morelos and Guerrero. Controversy in the medical treatment persists, some use serum anti-scorpion, others only in critical cases. People by tradition are used the home remedies to cure the scorpion puncture. Our objective was to know the medical treatment and home remedies used in scorpion punctures in the State of Guerrero.


METHODS
Retrospective, cross-sectional-descriptive, observational study through a non-probabilistic sample by quotas during a period of eight years with 1,174 patients with age above 18 years with a interview applied by medical students.


RESULTS
All the affected patients used home remedies, 94% went to the physician, the more frequent remedies used were garlic, tobacco, cacahuananche, salt, eggs. The most frequent prescribed drugs were: antiscorpion serum, calcium, chloroquine, an antihistamine drugs. Of the total of affected patients, 45% were children and 53 % adults.


CONCLUSIONS
In Guerrero, it is traditional to use different home remedies. Doctors used antiscorpion serum in the 56.73% of the cases and symptomatic treatment with different medications.
Lagunas-Flores
Artemio
A
Unidad Académica de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. artemio42@prodigy.net.mx
Lagunas-Jaimes
Gregoria Natividad
GN
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065008:Scorpion Stings / Q000628:therapy*; D012605:Scorpions; D055815:Young Adult