Citation

Torrez PP, Quiroga MMM, Abati PAM, Mascheretti M, Costa WS, Campos LP, França FO. Toxicon 2014; 96: 68-73.

Affiliation

Advanced Tropical Medicine Center, Santarém, Pará of the Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.toxicon.2014.12.012

PMID

25549940

Abstract

Scorpionism is a public health problem in many tropical countries, especially in North Africa, South India, Latin America and the Middle East. In Brazil, patients with severe scorpion envenoming have mainly cardiovascular events, including acute heart failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock, death is rare. We described 58 accidents presumably caused by Tityus obscurus in Brazilian Amazonia. Patients reported a sensation of "electric shocks" which could last hours. The vast majority of patients presented a clinical picture compatible with acute cerebellar dysfunction, beginning minutes and lasting up to 2 days after the accident. They presented cerebellar ataxia, dysdiadochokinesia, dysmetry, dysarthria, dyslalia, nausea and vomiting. Besides, some patients presented myoclonus and fasciculation which can also be attributed to cerebellar dysfunction or maybe the result of direct action on skeletal muscle. Two patients had evidence of intense rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury. The clinical picture in this scorpion envenoming is mainly characterized by an acute dysfunction of cerebellar activities and abnormal neuromuscular manifestations and in some cases muscle injury which are not described in any other region of the world. This work presents clinical, epidemiologic, laboratory and treatment aspects of this unmatched scorpion envenoming in the state of Pará, northern Brazil.

Language: en