Snakebite Envenoming in Children: a Neglected Tropical Disease in a Costa Rican Pediatric Tertiary Care Center.

Snakebite Envenoming in Children: a Neglected Tropical Disease in a Costa Rican Pediatric Tertiary Care Center. Acta Trop. 2019 Sep 14;:105176 Authors: Brenes-Chacón H, Gutiérrez JM, Camacho-Badilla K, Soriano-Fallas A, Ulloa-Gutiérrez R, Valverde-Muñoz K, Ávila-Agüero ML Abstract BACKGROUND: Introduced in June 2017 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Neglected Tropical Diseases, snakebite envenoming is a global health problem. In Costa Rica, an incidence of 15 per 100,000 inhabitants and a mortality rate of 0.15 per 100,000 inhabitants per year were reported from 2005-2012. Children are also affected and prone to complications. METHODS: Retrospective descriptive 14-year study of children with envenomings by Viperidae snakebites managed at the tertiary pediatric hospital in Costa Rica. FINDINGS: 80 patients (pts) were included and classified as having mild (17 pts, 29.3%), moderate (58 pts, 72.5%) or severe (5 pts, 6.2%) envenoming. 52/80 (65%) patients received treatment within the first four hours, three (3.75%) between 5-8 hours, three between 9-12 hours, four (4%) between 13-16 hours, two (2.5%) between 17-20 hours, and seven (8.75%) after 20 hours. Edema was documented in 76/80 (95%), pain in 58 (72.5%), local bleeding in 23 (28.8%), emesis in 10 (12.5%), bullae formation in 8 (10%), and tissue necrosis in three (3.8%) pts. Complications presented according with degree of envenoming, being more comm...
Source: Acta Tropica - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Tags: Acta Trop Source Type: research