Epidemiologic - Demographic Status of Scorpion- Stung Patients in Khorramshahr County, Southwestern Iran

Introduction and Objectives: Nearly two-thousand scorpion species have been identified worldwide, twenty-five of which have health importance. Each year approximately half a million individuals are stung by scorpions in the world with a fatality rate of 3250 people. In Iran, there are nearly 40000 cases in a year and the numbers of recorded deaths are between 14-29 people. Scorpionism is one of the most significant medical subjects in Iran especially in the southern areas; so that Khuzestan Province is one of the most significant foci of scorpionism. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the epidemiological characteristics of the individuals stung by scorpions in Khorramshahr region, Khuzestan province, Southwestern Iran. Materials and Methods: In this analytic descriptive study, all patients with scorpion sting were assessed from 2013 to 2017. Data regarding the patient's age, gender, site of the sting, month of envenomation, administration of scorpion antivenin, time of the sting, geographical area, and the color of scorpion were extracted and recorded. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software, version 22.0 using Pearson's Chi-square and student's t-test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant Results: During the research period, the total number of scorpion stings reviewed was 1045. Envenomation with scorpions was reported throughout the year. About 42.7% and 31.1% of the stings occurred during summer and spring, respectively, most of which occurred in June (%20.5) and July (%18.6). The most prevalent site of envenomation was the lower extremities (62.5%), followed by upper extremities (36.9%) and trunk (0.6%). The gender distribution showed 44.5% females and 55.5% males. In addition, more than 48.8% of patients referred to the hospital at night between 18:00 to 00:00. In 58.5% of the stung patients, the color of the scorpions was black. The majority of patients aged more than 50 (20.8%) and 0-10 (19.1%) years. There were significant statistical differences between these variables and the prevalence of stings. Conclusions: The presence of medically important scorpions, in Khuzestan Province, requires control and health educational programs for the reduction of scorpion sting problem.

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