Scorpion Stings in Children at the Midelt Provincial Hospital Center
Soufiane El Moussaoui, Widad Lahmini, Siham Mellouk, Mounir Bourrous
Scorpion envenomation constitutes in Morocco, as in several countries around the world, a major public
health problem.
We conducted a retrospective study with descriptive and analytical purposes, focusing on the pediatric
population, admitted to the emergency reception department and the pediatric department of the Midelt
Provincial Hospital Center. This study interested children aged 0 to 15 years admitted for scorpion
stings, with the aim of analyzing the epidemiological, clinical and progressive aspects of scorpion
envenomation in children.
During a period of two years (January 2019-December 2020), 121 cases of scorpion stings were
recorded, representing a prevalence of 4.78%. All age groups were affected with a predominance of
children under 6 years old. The sex ratio (M/F) was 1.42. The majority of cases were of rural origin
(59%) and bitten during the hot period (57%) and more precisely during summer nights. The bites
mainly affected the distal parts of the upper and lower limbs (90%). The black scorpion was the most
incriminated (51%). The treatment time was between 30 minutes and 2 hours in 38.02% of cases and
exceeded 4 hours in 33.05% of cases.
On admission, 80% of patients were classified as stage I and 8% as stage III according to the Abroug
classification. Pain was reported by 95% of patients. The general symptomatology was dominated by
vegetative (29.6%) and digestive (23%) signs. Only one death was declared in a patient classified as
stage III upon arrival with multiorgan distress.
None of our patients received anti- scorpion serum. The treatment was mainly symptomatic and palliative
depending on the clinical picture presented by the patient.
Overall, scorpion stings remain a summer danger, especially in rural areas of the province of Midelt.
They are often benign but the occurrence of complications always remains unpredictable. Hence the
need for prevention, education and early and appropriate care, respecting the National Strategy for
the Fight against Scorpionic Bites and Envenomation developed by the Ministry of Health in Morocco.
