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Published on: October 6, 2023
Clinical characteristics and outcome of children stung by scorpion
Ismail Lotfy Mohamad1, Khalid I Elsayh, Hanaa A Mohammad
1Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71516, Egypt, drsomaa@yahoo.com.
Insights
Scorpion stings severely affect children in tropical regions, with over half experiencing critical symptoms and nearly a fifth succumbing to envenomation. Aggressive treatment is vital for improving outcomes in pediatric scorpion sting cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Toxicology
- Tropical Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Scorpion envenomation poses a significant health risk to children in tropical and subtropical areas.
- Understanding the specific clinical profiles and outcomes is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of children with scorpion stings.
- To evaluate the outcomes of scorpion envenomation in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical files for 111 children treated for scorpion stings at Assiut University Children Hospital in 2012.
- Analysis of demographic data, bite details, clinical severity (Class I, II, III), and laboratory results (CBC, LFTs, CPK, LDH, ABGs, electrolytes).
Main Results:
- The study included 111 children (69 males, 42 females; median age 5 years).
- 53.2% presented with severe clinical severity (Class III), including pulmonary edema (33.3%), cardiogenic shock (46.8%), and neurological manifestations (22.8%).
- Outcomes included discharge without sequelae (55.8%), discharge with sequelae (26.1%), and mortality (18.1%).
Conclusions:
- More than half of the pediatric scorpion sting victims exhibited severe clinical presentations.
- A significant proportion (18.1%) of children died from scorpion envenomation.
- Aggressive treatment strategies are recommended to improve survival rates and reduce long-term complications in pediatric scorpion sting cases.
Unlabelled:
Scorpion envenomation is a health problem in children in tropical and subtropical regions. The aim of this study was to evaluate demographic and clinical characteristics as well as outcomes in referred children to Assiut University Children Hospital during the year 2012 with a history of scorpion sting. The medical files of these patients were reviewed retrospectively for demographic data, time and site of biting, and clinical manifestations. Laboratory investigations of the patients were reviewed for complete blood count (CBC), liver function tests, creatinine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), arterial blood gases, and serum electrolytes. Results showed 111 children with a history of scorpion sting; 69 males and 42 females with a median age of 5 years. Out of the studied patients, 53.2 % were classified as class III of clinical severity with recorded pulmonary edema in 33.3 %, cardiogenic shock in 46.8 %, and severe neurological manifestations in 22.8 %. Twelve patients (10.8 %) were classified as class II with mild systemic manifestations, and 36 % of the patients were classified as class I with only local reaction. Outcomes of these patients were discharge without sequelae in 55.8 %, discharge with sequelae in 26.1 %, and death in 18.1 %.
Conclusion:
more than half of stung children had a severe clinical presentation and about one fifth died. Aggressive treatment regimens are recommended for such patients to improve the outcome.
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