Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2025
10:25
Extraction of Venom and Venom Gland Microdissections from Spiders for Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analyses
Published on: November 3, 2014
33.4K
Black Widow Spider Envenomation and Cardiovascular Complications
Parmjot Khakh1, William Q Lavercombe2, Juan M Farina3
1Internal Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, CAN.
Cureus
|December 10, 2024
Summary
Black widow spider (BWS) envenomation can cause serious cardiovascular issues like hypertension and tachycardia. Awareness of these effects is crucial, as diagnostic features are not specific, and antivenom
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Cardiology
- Systematic Review
Background:
- Black widow spider (BWS) envenomation, known as latrodectism, can lead to cardiovascular dysfunction.
- The precise pathophysiology and clinical outcomes of these cardiovascular effects remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and elucidate the cardiovascular complications associated with black widow spider envenomation.
- To identify common cardiovascular manifestations and patient outcomes following BWS bites.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review was conducted adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
- Data were extracted from 22 articles (20 case reports, 2 case series) involving 25 patients diagnosed with BWS envenomation.
Main Results:
- Hypertension (68%) and tachycardia (64%) were the most frequent findings.
- Elevated troponin levels (64%) and electrocardiographic abnormalities, including ST-T segment changes (36%) and supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (12%), were observed.
- Cardiac imaging revealed wall motion abnormalities (44%) and reduced ejection fraction (40%), with some cases of left ventricle global hypokinesis.
Conclusions:
- Cardiovascular complications following black widow spider bites are significant but lack pathognomonic features on imaging or ECG.
- Increased clinical awareness of potential cardiac involvement is recommended.
- The prospective impact of antivenom on cardiovascular outcomes in latrodectism requires further investigation.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Disorders of the Autonomic Nervous System
561
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is an intricate network of nerves that controls functions such as the regulation of heart rate, digestion, and blood pressure regulation. When this system malfunctions, it can lead to various disorders that affect multiple bodily functions. One common feature of many autonomic disorders is the involvement of smooth blood vessels, which play a crucial role in regulating blood flow throughout the body.
Raynaud's disease, also known as Raynaud's...
Raynaud's disease, also known as Raynaud's...
561
02:06Allergic Reactions
27.2K
Overview
27.2K
01:18Cardiovascular Drugs: Classification based on Therapeutic Indications
2.0K
Cardiovascular diseases, encompassing a range of conditions, can significantly affect the heart's operations and the overall circulatory system. These conditions impair the heart's ability to pump blood, leading to a deficit in oxygen supply to crucial organs. Anomalies in the heart's electrical system, known as arrhythmias, can cause heartbeats to accelerate or slow down. Usually, heart rates increase during physical activity and decrease while resting or sleeping. However,...
2.0K
01:16Vascular Spasm
1.2K
The vascular phase, also known as vasospasm, is the initial stage of hemostasis, crucial for preventing excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. After a vessel is cut, nerves in the damaged area trigger pain and other sensory impulses. Simultaneously, the smooth muscles in the vessel wall contract, resulting in a vascular spasm. This contraction reduces the vessel's diameter at the injury site, slowing or stopping blood loss through the vessel wall. Vascular spasms typically last...
1.2K
01:30Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
616
Hemostasis is a crucial process that prevents excessive blood loss from damaged blood vessels. It involves various mechanisms such as vasoconstriction, platelet adhesion and activation, and fibrin formation. The importance of each mechanism depends on the type of vessel injury. In contrast, thrombosis is the abnormal formation of a blood clot within the blood vessels, leading to potential complications if the clot obstructs blood flow. Thrombosis can be caused by increased coagulability of the...
616
01:26Heart Failure Drugs: Inhibitors of Renin-Angiotensin System
385
The activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) contributes to cardiac remodeling, and inhibiting the RAAS is a pharmacological target in heart failure management. As a result, neurohumoral modulation is a crucial treatment principle for managing heart failure. This approach involves using medications like ACE inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), β-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), and neutral...
385