Comparison of snakebite in children and adults in Nigeria

Area of Science:

• Medical Research
• Toxicology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Snakebite envenoming is a significant global health issue.
• Children are disproportionately affected by snakebites worldwide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the clinical presentation and outcomes of snakebite envenoming in children versus adults.
• To identify age-specific differences in snakebite management and treatment.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 2922 snakebite patients.
• Categorization of patients into pediatric and adult groups (30.3% were children).
• Comparison of local and systemic envenoming features, mortality, and complications between age groups.

Main Results:

• Local envenoming features were significantly more common in children compared to adults (p < 0.05).
• No significant differences were observed in systemic envenoming features (p = 0.356), mortality (p = 0.12), or complications (p = 0.16) between children and adults.
• The majority of snakebites (>75%) occurred in the lower extremities for both groups.

Conclusions:

• While children present with more local envenoming signs after snakebites, overall systemic envenoming, mortality, and complication rates are comparable to adults.
• These findings highlight the need for age-specific considerations in snakebite management, particularly regarding local symptoms in pediatric patients.