[Scorpion envenomation treated at Beni Mellal Provincial Hospital in Morocco]. / Les envenimations scorpioniques a l'hôpital provincial de Beni Mellal (Maroc).

The Beni Mellal province has one of the highest incidences of scorpion envenomation in Morocco. The purpose of this retrospective study was to report and analyze data recorded in scorpion envenomation victims admitted to the intensive care department of the Beni Mellal Provincial Hospital. A total of 63 patients were admitted in 2005. Most stings occurred during summer mainly in June and July. Most (60.3%) occurred at night between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Most patients were children younger than 16 years (mean, 10.2 +/- 12.9 years). At the time of admission, general manifestations of envenomation were present in 72.6% of patients and life-threatening symptoms were observed in 27.4%. Therapy consisted of symptomatic treatment and in-hospital mortality was 28.6%. There was not a significant difference in mortality in function of age or severity of manifestations at the time of admission.

Risk factors for scorpion stings in the beni mellal province of morocco

Scorpion stings comprise a serious problem throughout the globe, especially in regions where they are more frequent. In Morocco, Beni Mellal is one of the provinces most affected by this burden. This study aimed to trace the epidemiological profile of scorpion stings in Beni Mellal in order to improve patient care and prevent both morbidity and mortality. Our work is a retrospective study of scorpion stings based on medical charts of Beni Mellal. From 2002 to 2007, 8,340 cases were registered in this province with an average incidence of 1.36‰. The stings were more frequent in summer months, particularly July and August, and between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (59.8 percent). The average age of victims was 26.54 ± 18.42 years. Children were affected in 30.3 percent of the cases. Of all registered cases, 67.3 percent of the patients received medical aid in less than an hour after the sting. The envenomation rate (Class II and Class III) was 12.4 percent and the overall case-fatality rate was 0.42 percent with a mortality rate of 0.005‰. Statistical analysis of the various studied factors revealed a significant connection among the envenomation class, patient age and evolution.(AU)