Characterization of scorpion envenoming in children care for a poisoning control center

Abstract

Objective

To analyse the clinical and epidemiological factors associated with the toxicological events of scorpion envenomation in children aged 0–11 years followed at a Centre for Toxicological Information and Assistance (CIATox).

Methods

A descriptive study was conducted of children treated at the CIATox of the University Hospital of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, from 2017 to 2022. Collected data included sociodemographic and clinical data, as well as data regarding the toxicological event. The dependent variable was hospitalization with a minimum duration of 24 h. For the association analyses, Poisson regression with logistic variance was used, with calculation of the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

Results

In total, 450 cases were analysed, with an increase in the number of cases over the years, and predominance of accidents caused by Tityus serrulatus (48.7%). The main local symptoms were pain and erythema/hyperaemia, and the main systemic symptoms were tachycardia, vomiting and generalized sweating. Antiscorpion serum or antiarachnidic serum was required for 10.9% of the patients. Hospitalization was observed in 8.4% of the cases, which was higher in children stung by T. serrulatus (RR = 11.34; 95% CI: 3.46–37.18; p < 0.001), aged 4 years or younger (OR = 2.13; 95% CI: 1.15–3.95; p = 0.016), and time between sting and CIATox treatment of 3 h or more (OR = 2.53; 95% CI: 1.20–5.35; p = 0.015).

Conclusions

The results indicate that pain, erythema/hypearemia, tachycardia, vomiting and sweating are the main clinical manifestations. Demographic, agent-related, and exposure-related factors were associated with patient hospitalization.