User:Mr. Ibrahem/Snakebite
| Snakebite | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A rattlesnake bite on the foot of a 9-year-old girl in Venezuela | |
| Specialty | Emergency medicine |
| Symptoms | Two puncture wounds, redness, swelling, severe pain at the area[1][2] |
| Complications | Bleeding, kidney failure, severe allergic reaction, tissue death around the bite, breathing problems, amputation[1][3] |
| Causes | Snakes[1] |
| Risk factors | Working outside with one's hands (farming, forestry, construction)[1][3] |
| Prevention | Protective footwear, avoiding areas where snakes live, not handling snakes[1] |
| Treatment | Washing the wound with soap and water, antivenom[1][4] |
| Prognosis | Depends on type of snake[5] |
| Frequency | Up to 5 million a year[3] |
| Deaths | 94,000–125,000 per year[3] |
A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake.[6] A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs.[1] Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occur.[3] This may result in redness, swelling, and severe pain at the area, which may take up to an hour to appear.[1][2] Vomiting, blurred vision, tingling of the limbs, and sweating may result.[1][2] Most bites are on the hands, arms, or legs.[2][7] Fear following a bite is common with symptoms of a racing heart and feeling faint.[2] The venom may cause bleeding, kidney failure, a severe allergic reaction, tissue death around the bite, or breathing problems.[1][3] Bites may result in the loss of a limb or other chronic problems.[3] The outcome depends on the type of snake, the area of the body bitten, the amount of venom injected, and the general health of the person bitten.[5] Problems are often more severe in children than adults, due to their smaller size.[3][8][9]
Snakes bite, both as a method of hunting, and as a means of protection.[10] Risk factors for bites include working outside with one's hands such as in farming, forestry, and construction.[1][3] Snakes commonly involved in poisonings include elapids (such as kraits, cobras and mambas), vipers, and sea snakes.[4] The majority of snake species do not have venom and kill their prey by squeezing them.[2] Venomous snakes can be found on every continent except Antarctica.[10] Determining the type of snake that caused a bite is often not possible.[4] The World Health Organization says snakebites are a "neglected public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries".[9]
Prevention of snake bites can involve wearing protective footwear, avoiding areas where snakes live, and not handling snakes.[1] Treatment partly depends on the type of snake.[1] Washing the wound with soap and water and holding the limb still is recommended.[1][4] Trying to suck out the venom, cutting the wound with a knife, or using a tourniquet is not recommended.[1] Antivenom is effective at preventing death from bites; however, antivenoms frequently have side effects.[3][11] The type of antivenom needed depends on the type of snake involved.[4] When the type of snake is unknown, antivenom is often given based on the types known to be in the area.[4] In some areas of the world getting the right type of antivenom is difficult and this partly contributes to why they sometimes do not work.[3] An additional issue is the cost of these medications.[3] Antivenom has little effect on the area around the bite itself.[4] Supporting the person's breathing is sometimes also required.[4]
The number of venomous snakebites that occur each year may be as high as five million.[3] They result in about 2.5 million poisonings and 20,000 to 125,000 deaths.[3][10] The frequency and severity of bites vary greatly among different parts of the world.[10] They occur most commonly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,[3] with rural areas more greatly affected.[3][9] Deaths are relatively rare in Australia, Europe and North America.[10][11][12] For example, in the United States, about seven to eight thousand people per year are bitten by venomous snakes (about one in 40 thousand people) and about five people die (about one death per 65 million people).[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Venomous Snakes". U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 24 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Gold, Barry S.; Richard C. Dart; Robert A. Barish (1 April 2002). "Bites of venomous snakes". The New England Journal of Medicine. 347 (5): 347–56. doi:10.1056/NEJMra013477. PMID 12151473.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Animal bites: Fact sheet N°373". World Health Organization. February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Neglected tropical diseases: Snakebite". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
- ^ a b Marx, John A. (2010). Rosen's emergency medicine : concepts and clinical practice (7 ed.). Philadelphia: Mosby/Elsevier. p. 746. ISBN 9780323054720. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Definition of Snakebite". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ Daley, BJ; Torres, J (June 2014). "Venomous snakebites". JEMS : A Journal of Emergency Medical Services. 39 (6): 58–62. PMID 25109149.
- ^ Peden, M. M. (2008). World Report on Child Injury Prevention. World Health Organization. p. 128. ISBN 9789241563574. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "Snake antivenoms: Fact sheet N°337". World Health Organization. February 2015. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Kasturiratne, A.; Wickremasinghe, A. R.; de Silva, N; Gunawardena, NK; Pathmeswaran, A; Premaratna, R; Savioli, L; Lalloo, DG; de Silva, HJ (4 November 2008). "The global burden of snakebite: a literature analysis and modelling based on regional estimates of envenoming and deaths". PLOS Medicine. 5 (11): e218. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050218. PMC 2577696. PMID 18986210.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ a b Gutiérrez, José María; Bruno Lomonte; Guillermo León; Alexandra Rucavado; Fernando Chaves; Yamileth Angulo (2007). "Trends in Snakebite Envenomation Therapy: Scientific, Technological and Public Health Considerations". Current Pharmaceutical Design. 13 (28): 2935–50. doi:10.2174/138161207782023784. PMID 17979738.
- ^ Chippaux, J. P. (1998). "Snake-bites: appraisal of the global situation". Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 76 (5): 515–24. PMC 2305789. PMID 9868843.