Clinical and therapeutic aspects of snakebite envenoming in national hospitals of Guatemala
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36958/sep.v5i2.114Keywords:
Epidemiology, public health, ophidism, snakes, neglected diseaseAbstract
Snakebite envenoming is a priority neglected disease that occurs mainly in developing countries of tropical regions. In Guatemala, about 900 cases occur per year, with young peasants being the most affected. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and therapeutic aspects of snakebite envenoming in Guatemala. METHODS: A retrospective, documental, descriptive study was designed. 305 case files from two hospitals (Hospital Regional de Escuintla [HRE] and Hospital Regional de San Benito Petén [HRSBP]) were examined. RESULTS: The average hospitalization time was 4.03 days in the HRE and 5.71 days in the HRSB. The most common degree of severity was grade II in the HRE and grade III in the HRSB. The average number of antiophidic serum vials administered to patients was 4.99 in the HRE and 9.84 in the HRSB. In both hospitals, the administration of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, antihistamines, H2 antagonists, tetanus antitoxin, vitamin K and other medications was common. The most common sequelae were rhabdomyolysis, therapeutic fasciotomies and amputations. A weak relationship was observed between the recorded evolution time and the degree of severity of the snakebite envenoming. CONCLUSION: Snakebite envenomings were more sever in northern Guatemala than in southern Guatemala. The results contribute to the understanding of the multidimensional reality of the snakebite envenoming in Guatemala.
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