Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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Volume 26

October - December 2010

Number  4


 

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Study of scorpionism in
Kashan in central Iran

Rouhullah Dehghani1, Babak Vazirianzadeh2,
Mehdi Rahimi Nasrabadi3, Seyed Abbas Moravvej4

Abstract

Objective: The present research study was conducted to get new information due to the epidemiology of scorpionism in the region of Kshan, central of Iran.

Methodology: This was a descriptive retrospective study. Totally 230 files, belonging to the patients presented to the health centre and hospitals of city of Kashan during one year (March 22nd 2007 - March 21st 2008) were reviewed. In a questioner, this information was included and recorded for each patient: sex and age of scorpion sting victim, background of patient, antivenin treatment, month of scorpion sting, scorpion-stung part of body, color of scorpion and geographical place (rural/urban). The frequencies of epidemiological parameters were converted to the percentage rank.

Results: The incidence of scorpion sting in Kashan is calculated as 58 persons in hundred thousand (100,000). The results of this study show that the most of scorpion-stung patients were males (53.04%) and the rest were females (46.95%). The distribution rate of ages shows that the greatest rate of scorpion stings were reported among the 15-24 year old people. Data collected in this study revealed that the highest incidence of scorpion sting cases took place in summer (75.7%) and the lowest in winter (0.4%). Totally 73.91% of scorpion sting victims were from urban areas and the rest (26.08%) were from rural areas of Kashan. The scorpions brought to the Medical Centres by the patients or their relatives were identified as Odonthobuthus doriae, Hotentta saulcyi, Compsobuthus sp., Androctonus crassicauda and Orthochirus sp. of Buthidae and Scorpio maurus of Scorpionidae in Kashan of Iran.

Conclusion: It is concluded that the scorpionism in Kashan is similar to the other areas from the epidemiological cases including: distribution rate of ages, sex and site of stings. Existence of Hemiscorpius lepturus causes more clinical effects among people of south west of Iran than Kashan area.

KEY WORDS: Scorpionism, Buthidae, Scorpionidae, Kashan, Iran.

Pak J Med Sci    October - December 2010    Vol. 26 No. 4    955-958

How to cite this article:

Dehghani R, Vazirianzadeh B, Nasrabadi MR, Moravvej SA. Study of scorpionism in Kashan in central Iran. Pak J Med Sci 2010;26(4):955-958


1. Rouhullah Dehghani,
Department of Environmental Health, School of Health,
Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
2. Babak Vazirianzadeh,
3. Mehdi Rahimi Nasrabadi,
Health Center of Kashan,
University of Medical Sciences & Health Services
4. Seyed Abbas Moravvej,
2, 4: Dept. of Medical Parasitology & Mycology, School of Medicine
and Infectious & Tropical Diseases Research Centre,
Ahvaz Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences,
Ahvaz, Iran

Correspondence:
Dr. Babak Vazirianzadeh,
Email: babakvazir@yahoo.co.uk

* Received for Publication: March 3, 2010
* Accepted: June 23, 2010



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