Clinical and hematological predictors of severity in pediatric patients with Centruroides scorpion stings

Introduction. In Mexico, scorpion stings are the leading cause of death from contact with venomous animals among children under 5 years of age. Despite a decline in mortality over the past 20 years, this remains a public health problem. The objective of this study was to describe the correlation between the severity of scorpion sting poisoning and the age, anthropometric profile, and hematological profile of pediatric patients treated in the emergency department. Population and methods. Descriptive, cross-sectional, analytical study. Variables such as age, sex, bite location, signs and symptoms, weight, height, body mass index, white blood cell count, and platelet count were analyzed, along with their correlation with the severity of poisoning using Spearman's correlation. Differences between severity groups were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the strength of association of the independent variables was evaluated using ordinal logistic regression, with a significance level of p <0.05. Results. A total of 349 patients stung by scorpions of the genus Centruroides were analyzed over 10 years. A negative correlation was observed between age, weight, and height and the severity of poisoning (p = 0.001); that is, the younger the patient and the lower their weight and height, the greater the severity of poisoning. A positive correlation was also observed between an increase in white blood cell count and severity (p = 0.001). Conclusion. In the multivariate analysis, young age was confirmed as an independent determinant of the severity of poisoning. Leukocytosis is a marker of severe poisoning.