Envenoming from snake bite is an important medical condition, frequently encountered at the emergency department of BPKIHS hospital (Dharan, Nepal). This is a retrospective study of 52 cases of suspected snake bite who presented at the department from August 1993 to November 1994. Analysis of the data showed that snake bite was more frequent between the ages of 11 to 20 years (36.7%) and 2.5 times more common in males. Fifty-seven per cent of the bites occurred between 1600 h and midnight with highest incidence (51%) occurring during the monsoon (August-October). Twenty per cent of the patients were able to identify the snake species as venomous and 90% of them presented to the hospital within 3 h of being bitten. Sixty per cent of the bites were in the lower limb. Neurotoxicity due to envenoming was recorded in nine patients (17%). No case of coagulopathy was recorded. The overall case fatality was 3.8% but mortality amongst those exhibiting signs of neurotoxicity was 22%.
The prevalence of alcohol dependence is too high for comfort in Dharan, a town in eastern Nepal. There is an urgent need to formulate a policy for substance abuse in the country taking into account the findings of this study.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.