Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of scorpion stings in children in fez, Morocco

Abstract

Scorpion stings are a public health problem in Morocco, especially among children, who experience the most severe cases. Epidemiological and clinical findings on scorpion stings in Fez, Morocco, were evaluated in this investigation. Of 163 cases that required medical attention, 62.6% were male children. The mean age of patients was 4.8 ± 3.4 years. The mean time between stings and first medical attention was 3.36 ± 2.5 hours. Almost all cases occurred in the summer (94%) and extremities represented the most frequent sting sites (86.5%). Local pain, hyperemia, scarification, vomiting, sweating, restlessness, tachycardia and tachypnea were the observed clinical symptoms. Regarding severity, 55.2% of patients belonged to class III, followed by class II (26.4%) and class I (18.4%). None of our patients received antivenom; however, all of them were treated symptomatically depending on clinical manifestations.

Epidemiological, Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Scorpion Sting in Southeastern Region of Turkey

“…[27,28] A delay in medical aid leads to an unfavorable prognosis; the risk is even higher in patients brought for medical care two hours after the sting. [12] According to our data, 71.5% of SS cases were admitted to hospital and administered antivenom within two hours following the SS.…”

“…There was a significant difference between SS incidents in terms of place of residence (p<0.005). The patients admitted to the emergency service in a mean of 4.3±3.5 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) hours after the trauma. The majority of the victims were stung by scorpions while they were at active work (42.3%) or asleep (19.5%) in bed.…”

“…Annually, nearly 100,000 SS cases are reported worldwide, 800 of which result in fatality. [12][13][14] Scorpions live in jungles, deserts, and rocky areas; they become active at night and feed on insects and sometimes small rodents. [15] They possess a wide range of colors, ranging from straw color to yellow, from light brown to black.…”

“…[22,29] Morocco has a high incidence of SSs between June and September, Saudi Arabia between May and September, and Iran between April and October. [12,24,30] SSs were most frequently reported in May and June in Texas. [31] We also found that a majority (76%) of stings took place during the summer (Fig.…”

“…[38][39][40] Some measures with no scientific background, such as sucking, application of henna or oil, or drinking milk are absolutely contraindicated. [12] Treatment for SSs includes fluid and electrolyte replacement, antibiotics in some cases, tetanus toxoid, scorpion serum, analgesics to relieve pain, and calcium gluconate for muscle spasm. In cases with severe pulmonary edema, neurotoxicity, circulatory failure, and hematologic findings, oxygen, sublingual nifedipine, digoxin, furosemide, aminophylline, dopamine, vitamin K, and fresh frozen plasma may be given, and phenobarbital and dexamethasone may be administered for 48 hours in cases with convulsions.…”