Epidemiological Aspect of Scorpion Sting in Behbahan, Iran, During 2007-2018

Introduction: Scorpion sting a public health problem in Iran,especially in Khuzestan Province, that can threaten human health. Investigating demographic and epidemiologic factors affecting scorpion stings is vital in preventing this issue. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of scorpion sting patients referred to the clinical centers of Behbahan, Khuzestan Province, Iran. 

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on all stung people referred to clinical centers in Behbahan County from 2007 to 2018. The epidemiology of patients and demographic data were collected using a checklist and analyzed using SPSS version 16. 

Results: Our results showed that 19600 scorpion stings (in 12 years) were recorded in Behbahan County, including 10315 males (53%) and 9285females (47%). Their average age of the patients was 29.6 years, and 83% of the stings occurred at home. Sixty percent of scorpion stings happened between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am. The least and most frequent cases of sting were people aged 55-64 and 25-34 years, respectively. Scorpion stings mainly (75.3%)occurred during the warm seasons, such as spring and summer (n=14760), and 61.4% (n=12032) of the patients residing in rural areas and 38.6% (n=7568)residing in urban areas. Hands were the most prevalent sting sites, with a frequency rate of 39.4%. The average incidence rate of scorpion stings was estimated at 840.2 individuals per 100,000. Two deaths occurred due to scorpion stings during the study period (12 years). 

Conclusion: The high incidence rate of scorpion stings observed in Behbahan supports the need for new prevention measures and policies to reduce the incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of such stings and the high cost of their treatment.