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Distribution of scorpion sting cases based on various months and seasons in the city of Haji-Abad, from 2012 to 2016 (n = 853)
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Background:
More than 1.2 million scorpion stings occur annually worldwide, particularly in tropical regions. In the absence of proper medical care, mortality due to venomous scorpion stings is an important public health issue. The aim of the present study is to explore the temporal trend of scorpionism with time series models and determine the ef...
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Hyperglycaemia is often observed in severe scorpion-envenomed patients. It is due to a severe autonomic storm with a massive release of catecholamines, increased glucagon levels, cortisol levels, and either decreased insulin levels or insulin resistance. The presence of hyperglycaemia is an indicator of severity in this specific condition. Indeed,...
Factitious disorder as Munchausen syndrome is a time and money consuming condition that is presented with different signs and symptoms. In emergent situations, it is not a differential diagnosis with high priority, but when it becomes recurrent with atypical symptoms, factitious disorder and malingering should be considered as well. In this survey,...
Background: Research on use of traditional medicines obtained from plants has received considerable interest.
Background:
To evaluate the distribution of bite and sting cases presenting to a district public hospital and the use of antivenom in scorpion sting and snake bite cases.
Methods:
The demographic characteristics of patients with bites/stings reporting to a public hospital in 2014, the agent involved, the season of reporting, severity of clinical...
Background: Scorpion stings are common in India. Presentation of scorpion sting may vary from localised pain at the site of the sting to life threatening condition. Systemic envenomation will even result in death among one third of the subjects. The present study was conducted to determine the clinical presentation, course, complications and outcom...
Citations
... In this regard, North-Saharan Africa, Middle East, India, Mexico, and South America are the most affected countries in the world (Guerra-Duarte et al., 2023). Approximately, 40000-50000 scorpion stings with about 19 death annually, are reported in Iran (Ebrahimi et al., 2017). ...
... According to the faunistic reports, the Buthidae family is one of the largest scorpion families in the world and Iran (Nejati et al., 2014;Ebrahimi et al., 2017). The present study reported eight identified species in the Buthidae family with 95% of the collected scorpions and the species diversity, abundance, and dispersion in the studied areas. ...
... The Hemiscorpius spp. scorpion in the southern region of Kerman is known locally as Almas, Almasak, and Gadeem (Ebrahimi et al., 2017;Amiri Qanat Saman et al., 2022;Dehghan et al., 2023). ...
Scorpion stings are the major public health problem related to arthropods in tropical and subtropical areas of Iran. The study aimed to determine the species diversity and geographical distribution of scorpions in southern regions of Kerman province, Iran. The descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from March 2019 to November 2021 in the south of Kerman province. The specimens were collected by rock rolling method using long forceps during the day and UV light during the night. The specimens were put in containers containing 80% ethanol, transported to the laboratory, identified using valid taxonomic keys, and studied their sexes. A total of 126 scorpions were collected from 2 families, 7 genera, and 10 species including Hemiscorpius acanthocercus (2.2%), H. enischnochela (0.4%), Androctonus crassicauda (56.1%), Mesobuthus kirmanensis (29%), Odontobuthus baluchicus (3.5%), Hottentotta navidpouri (2.2%), Ho. sistanensis (2.2%), Orthochirus hormozganensis (1.3%), O. kucerai (0.9%) and Sassanidotus gracilis (1.3%). Mesobuthus kirmanensis were reported as dominant species. H. navidpouri, H. sistanensis, O. baluchicus, and O. hormozganensis are reported for the first time from Kerman province. Androctonus crassicauda, H. acanthocercus and H. enischnochela are known as dangerous species and could enhance the potential risk of scorpion stings deaths, especially in children. The fauna and geographical distribution of scorpions in the southeast of Iran showed the presence of suitable habitats for scorpions and can be a warning to the health care system. Identification of dangerous species and their range of distribution can be comprehensive and valuable guides to reducing the exposure of scorpions in high-risk areas.
... V Ebrahimi et al, conducted a study on predictive determinants of scorpion stings and concluded that scorpion sting cases were more common in summer. 8 Many other studies also consistent with this finding which indicate association between scorpion sting and climatic factors like temperature and relative humidity. ...
Scorpion sting is an acute time limiting medical emergency commonly encountered in rural villages of the country. It is a major public health problem in many tropical and sub tropical countries. India is most affected country in Asian epidemiological data.
This study was done to study the complications and outcome of scorpion sting in children.
This is a prospective observational study.
a total of 100 cases of scorpion sting selected from the patients admitted to Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Ballari. The demographical features, clinical presentation, complications, outcome and the response to standard treatment protocol were observed and analysed.
Scorpion sting is a common and major health problem in our area. Most commonly affected age group was 4-6 years (27%), and male children (67%) were most commonly affected. These cases were most commonly seen during March (15%) to May (14%) months. Pain at the site of sting (99%) and excessive sweating (92%) were most common presenting complaints, cold extremities (88%), tachycardia (84%), and restlessness (72%) were most common signs noted. Most common complication was myocarditis (15%), followed by pulmonary edema (7%) and encephalopathy (2%). About 98% of cases recovered without sequelae and 2% of cases died due to complications.
Scorpion sting is a serious, potentially fatal emergency in our area. Cardiovascular manifestations are most common and are life threatening complication. Administration of prazosin as early as possible is the single most effective intervention to prevent complications and mortality
... 1,24,25 Temperature and relative humidity were cited in many undertaken studies as being highly correlated with scorpion stings. 5,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30] High sting frequencies have been reported in warm seasons and stings exhibit a seasonal pattern. 23,24,27 A rate of 62% of scorpion stings occurred in El Oued province from June to September with a mortality rate, corresponding to the same period of 79%, which is in coherence with undertaken studies in affected regions in the world. ...
... 5,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30] High sting frequencies have been reported in warm seasons and stings exhibit a seasonal pattern. 23,24,27 A rate of 62% of scorpion stings occurred in El Oued province from June to September with a mortality rate, corresponding to the same period of 79%, which is in coherence with undertaken studies in affected regions in the world. 28,29 Most of the mathematical approaches aimed at analyzing the collected scorpion sting data have relied on descriptive statistics. ...
... Being cold-blooded arthropods, scorpions are affected by the temperature of the environment. 1,24 24,25,27 The SARIMA model was developed with the response variable depending only on its previous values. The SARIMA(2.0.2)(1.1.1) ...
Background: This study was designed to find the best statistical approach to scorpion sting predictions.
Study Design: A retrospective study.
Methods: Multiple regression, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA), neural network autoregressive (NNAR), and hybrid SARIMA-NNAR models were developed to predict monthly scorpion sting cases in El Oued province. The root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were used to quantitatively compare different models.
Results: Overall, 96909 scorpion stings were recorded in El Oued province from 2005-2020. The incidence rate experienced a gradual decrease until 2012 and since then slight fluctuations have been noted. Scorpion stings occurred throughout the year with peaks in September followed by July and August and troughs in December and January. Sting cases were not evenly distributed across demographic groups; the most affected age group was 15-49 years, and males were more likely to be stung. Of the
reported deaths, more than half were in children 15 and younger. Scorpion’s activity was conditioned by climate factors, and temperature had the highest effect. The SARIMA(2,0,2)(1,1,1)12, NNAR(1,1,2)12, and SARIMA(2,0,2)(1,1,1)12-NNAR(1,1,2)12 were selected as the best-fitting models. The RMSE, MAE, and MAPE of the SARIMA and SARIMA-NNAR models were lower than those of the NNAR model in fitting and
forecasting; however, the NNAR model could produce better predictive accuracy.
Conclusion: The NNAR model is preferred for short-term monthly scorpion sting predictions. An in-depth understanding of the epidemiologic triad of scorpionism and the development of predictive models ought to establish enlightened, informed, better-targeted, and more effective policies.
... 2023; 3(1):e133418. incidence rate, 1850 and 1300 in 100000, respectively (14,15). According to the data reported in 2016, regarding the age range of the victims, the largest cases were in the age group of 35 -39 years, but the calculated age-specific incidence rate in the 65 -69 years group was 2953.9 per 100000 which is five-fold higher than the years of the present study. ...
... Scorpions in these areas are likelier to bite their victims indoors. Most of the victims were household women, freelancers, and students, respectively; these findings were supported by Ebrahimi et al.'s study in Hormozgan (15). ...
... In this study, 52.5% of the stings occurred in urban areas. This finding was in contrast with the studies by Amiri et al. (16), Dehghani et al. (12), and Ebrahimi et al. (15). It can be attributed to the different definitions of urban and rural divisions; while many areas of Shoushtar city have features of rural life such as agriculture and livestock, they are defined as a city. ...
Background: Scorpionism is a considerable public health problem worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. It is one of the major health problems and the leading cause of death in the western and southern parts of Iran. Objectives: This study was performed with the aim of investigating the epidemiological features of scorpion stings in Shoushtar city. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 5479 cases in Shoushtar city, Khuzestan province, Iran, from January 1, 2014 until December 31, 2018. First, the incidence rate of scorpion stings was calculated for the study years; then, the bites frequency distribution chart was drawn by month. The t-test and Fisher exact test were used for data analysis using SPSS 22. Results: The average incidence rate of scorpion stinging during the study period was 579.55 per 100000. There was a gradual decrease in the incidence rate over the study period. The incidence of scorpionism was lower in winter, especially in January and February. The most prone body parts of sting were arms and legs (76%); the stings were more common in men than women and more in urban areas than rural areas. Household women had the highest frequency of stings, so almost 1 of every 3 victims was household women; most stings happened indoors. There was a significant association between gender and location, so it was 13 times more in women than men in an indoor location (P = 0.001, OR = 0.076). Conclusions: Shoushtar is a city with a high incidence rate of scorpion sting in the country, especially in the warm seasons. Most cases of stings occur in Housekeepers and in indoor environments. It seems renovation of residential areas, using chemical controls in roofed areas, and enhancing people's knowledge regarding the advantage of using gloves and boots can be vital in the reduction of sting incidences.
... Ebrahimi et al. [37] in 2017 focused the relationship between climate factors and the prevalence of scorpionism in Haji-Abad (the north of Hormozgan province, in the south of Iran). The results of the study reflected that temperature (positively) and relative humidity (negatively) were associated with the incidence of scorpion sting cases [37]. ...
... Ebrahimi et al. [37] in 2017 focused the relationship between climate factors and the prevalence of scorpionism in Haji-Abad (the north of Hormozgan province, in the south of Iran). The results of the study reflected that temperature (positively) and relative humidity (negatively) were associated with the incidence of scorpion sting cases [37]. ...
Envenomation by Androctunus crassicauda is very frequent in Iran, especially in the south-west. This scorpion is one of the six scorpions whose venom is used to prepare anti-venom. Using HPLC, we discovered venom components of A. crassicauda varies from one specimen to another depending on geographical location, and this result is confirmed by those first found in various symptoms of A. crassicauda sting in envenomed persons from two separate geographical places (north and south of Khuzestan province). There was a significant relationship between symptoms and location of envenomation by A. crassicauda. Muscle spasm was more dominant in envenomed people from Northern cities, and venom chromatogram analysis showed the presence of at least six main sharp peaks in Northern A. crassicauda rather than Southern A. crassicauda. It shows intraspecific differences in venom of A. crassicauda that must be considered in treatment of stung people from different geographical locations as well as in the preparation of anti-venom.
See also Figure 1(Fig. 1).
... They added that L. quinquestriatus was restricted to the Southern areas, B. occitanus was in coastal areas, and Androctonus species were widely spread in all regions. Ebrahimi et al. (2017) in Iran reported that more than 1.2 million scorpion stings occur annually worldwide, particularly in tropical regions, with two effective climate factors associated positively and negatively with scorpion sting cases are temperature and relative humidity, respectively. Abd El-Aziz et al. (2019) in Luxor Egypt reported that Leiurus quinquestriatus and Androctonus crassicauda were the commonest endemic scorpions, which sting caused acute heath threating. ...
... 41 This situation is exacerbated when considering the concomitant susceptibility and exposure of most of these children to one or more endemic vector-borne infectious diseases coupled with indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides in this tropical part of the world. [49][50][51][52][53] Conclusion in contrast to the other three cities in Fars province in Iran, the detection of three amino acid mutations in human head lice in Shiraz, , points to the region-specific treatment failures due to the constant use of permethrin in recent years. Regional health executives should thus be alarmed and advised to monitor the increasing frequency of allele mutations before any resistance trend moves into the fixation phase which will be very hard to eradicate in vulnerable hot spot regions. ...
... Various time series methods such as Auto-regressive Moving Average (Buendia and Solano, 2015;Ebrahimi et al., 2017); Simple Exponential Smoothing (Luo et al., 2017); Holt-Winters Exponential Smoothing (Ghaffari et al., 2018) have been widely applied to electronic health records. Recently, a Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) was introduced to handle missing values in multivariate time series data (Che et al., 2018). ...
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by single-celled blood parasites of the genus Plasmodium. The most severe cases of this disease are caused by the Plasmodium species, Falciparum. Once infected, a human host experiences symptoms of recurrent and intermittent fevers occurring over a time-frame of 48 hours, attributed to the synchronized developmental cycle of the parasite during the blood stage. To understand the regulated periodicity of Plasmodium falciparum transcription, this paper forecast and predict the P. falciparum gene transcription during its blood stage life cycle implementing a well-tuned recurrent neural network with gated recurrent units. Additionally, we also employ a spiking neural network to predict the expression levels of the P. falciparum gene. We provide results of this prediction on multiple genes including potential genes that express possible drug target enzymes. Our results show a high level of accuracy in being able to predict and forecast the expression levels of the different genes.
... The epidemiology of scorpion stings is poorly understood worldwide (2). Approximately 1.2 to 1.5 million scorpion stings occur yearly resulting in 2,600 deaths (3,4). ...
Background:
Scorpion envenomation is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in children and elderly worldwide. In Saudi Arabia it is an important issue as the climate and the desert terrain are ideal for scorpions' habitat.
Methods:
A literature review of articles on the incidence of scorpion stings in Saudi Arabia.
Results:
In Saudi Arabia, 28 species of scorpions were identified. Approximately 14,500 scorpion stings are annually reported, with full recovery and low morbidity and mortality rates. The highest risk groups to get envenomated are people living in the desert. And the highest incidence of scorpion stings was during the summer season.
Conclusion:
The number of scorpion stings in Saudi Arabia is considerable and there were insufficient studies regarding such topic. The aim of this study is to emphasize on the importance of scorpion stings in Saudi Arabia and providing updates regarding scorpion types, clinical presentations, and statistical data.
... Ebrahimi et al. [37] in 2017 focused the relationship between climate factors and the prevalence of scorpionism in Haji-Abad (the north of Hormozgan province, in the south of Iran). The results of the study reflected that temperature (positively) and relative humidity (negatively) were associated with the incidence of scorpion sting cases [37]. ...
... Ebrahimi et al. [37] in 2017 focused the relationship between climate factors and the prevalence of scorpionism in Haji-Abad (the north of Hormozgan province, in the south of Iran). The results of the study reflected that temperature (positively) and relative humidity (negatively) were associated with the incidence of scorpion sting cases [37]. ...
Background:
Although scorpionism is recorded worldwide, some regions such as Iran present a higher incidence. Due to the great prevalence of scorpion stings in Khuzestan province, southwestern Iran, the present study examined the relationship between different climate parameters and the scorpion sting rate in this area from April 2010 to March 2015.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, we considered all scorpion sting cases recorded in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Data were analyzed using statistics, frequency distribution and Pearson's correlation coefficient.
Results:
A total of 104,197 cases of scorpion stings was recorded from 2010 to 2015. The cumulative incidence of scorpion sting was 2.23%. The spatial distribution of scorpion stings showed that most cases occurred in the Dehdez district (4,504 scorpion stings/100,000 inhabitants) and the Masjed Soleyman county (4,069 scorpion stings/100,000 inhabitants). A significant association was found between climate factors (temperature, evaporation rate, sunshine duration, humidity, and precipitation) and the scorpion sting rate. An increase in rainfall and humidity coincided with a reduction in scorpion stings whereas an increase in temperature, evaporation, and sunshine duration was accompanied by a growth of scorpion stings. No significant correlation was found between wind velocity/direction and the incidence rate of stings. Moreover, the seasonal peak incidence of scorpion stings was recorded in summer (an average of 8,838 cases) and the lowest incidence was recorded during winter (an average of 1,286 cases). The annual trend of scorpion sting cases decreased during the period from 2010 to 2015.
Conclusion:
Climate variables can be a good index for predicting the incidence of scorpion stings in endemic regions. Since they occur mostly in the hot season, designing preventive measures in the counties and districts with a high incidence of scorpion stings such as Dehdez and Masjed Soleyman can minimize mortality and other burdens.
