Epidemiological aspects of scorpion stings in Al-Jouf Province, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Information on scorpion stings is available for many parts of Saudi Arabia, but not for Al-Jouf Province. METHODS: We reviewed and analyzed 1449 cases of scorpion stings that presented to the emergency department of the hospitals and medical centers in Al-Jouf Province during a 2-year period (2005–2006). RESULTS: The majority of patients (92.7%) manifested class I envenomation with local pain at the sting site as the primary complaint. Systemic toxicity was noticed in 7.3% of cases but no deaths were reported. Scorpion stings were recorded throughout the year with the highest seasonal incidence in the summer (64.3%) and the lowest during the winter (10.6%). The highest monthly incidence was in June (21.5%) and the lowest in December (1.5%). Most of the patients were male (77.3%) and the age of 44.2% of victims ranged between 15 to 30 years. Diurnal stings exceeded the nocturnal ones with a ratio of 3:2, and most of the stings were located mainly on the exposed limbs (88.6%), especially the lower limbs (51.7%). Leiurus quinquestriatus and Androctonus crassicauda were incriminated in most recorded cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that scorpion stings are common in Al-Jouf Province, especially during the summer. The overall threat to human health was found to be low.