Scorpion envenomation in Sergipe - Brazil

• Main Authors: Filipe Néri Barreto Mesquita, Marco Antônio Prado Nunes, Vanessa Rocha de Santana, José Machado Neto, Kaio Bernardes Santos de Almeida, Sonia Oliveira Lima
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo 2015-03-01
• Series: Revista da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Sorocaba
• Subjects: animais venenosos; escorpiões; aracnídeos; incidência
• Online Access: http://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/RFCMS/article/view/19842

Objectives: to evaluate the frequency and characteristics of scorpion envenomation in the state of Sergipe, reported by Centro de Informação e Assistência Toxicológica de Sergipe, from January 2002 to December 2012. Methodology: the variables were year, zone, gender, age and evolution of patients. We calculated the adjusted incidence envenomation each year and linear time trends were analyzed by univariate linear regression. A comparison between the proportions of variables was performed with the chi-square test. The significance level was 0.05. Results: we found 3,547 cases of scorpionism; the age group 20 - 29 years had the highest rate of annual growth in notifications (13.73); there was a predominance in females (54.3%), p < 0.001; and reports in urban areas had a growth rate of 63.24. A lethality of 0.06% was reported. Conclusions: the high incidence of accidents suggest Sergipe as an endemic area and justifies the need for wider deployment of preventive public health policies to this grievance.