Scorpion bite: symptoms, first aid, consequences and treatment

Scorpio is an exotic arachnid that resembles a crayfish species, which belongs to the type of arthropod insects, which for many centuries fears all life. His bite carries a huge danger to a person, up to partial paralysis and death.

Where can I stumble upon a scorpion?

Scorpions are very aggressive and poisonous; Are found mainly in the countries of Southern Europe, Central Asia, America, North Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East and the Crimea. A special representative of this type of insect is the Israeli subspecies of the genus Leiurus quinquestriatus, which is translated from Latin as a "deadly pursuer". The risk of being bitten is the most exposed to residents and guests of southern countries who first need to know what an insect looks like and what way of life it leads. If somehow the person has received such trauma, as a bite of a scorpion, what to do? How to escape? What measures should be taken first?

Scorpion description

Scorpio has impressive sizes (sometimes up to 18 cm), resembling the river cancer: segmented body, 2 claws, 6 limbs. A dangerous creature can be identified by a thickened curved upward tail with a sharp sting. Most of the life, which lasts about 5 years, the insect conducts in places inaccessible to the human eye (small gorges, spaces under stones, burrows in sandy soil depth of 15-25 cm). Activity manifests mainly at night. A person can be attacked only because of fear or in the process of protection.

The poison of some species is very dangerous, so a timely recognized scorpion bite can save human life. It is believed that individuals with large claws are less poisonous.

Scorpion bite: symptoms

When you bite a scorpion, which resembles a rather painful shot, the appearance of such symptoms:

• Sharp, burning pain, proportional to its power degree of virulence scorpion. The pain feels like a severe burn and can last for several hours, then increasing, then calming down.

• Redness in the lesion with a dark dot in the middle. The appearance of edema, rapidly spreading with potent venom.
• Severe itching.
• Feeling of numbness in the place of defeat.
• Formation of bubbles filled with a clear liquid.
• Attacks of nausea, periodic vomiting, pain in the abdomen.
• Dizziness, headache, sometimes sore throat.
• Inflammation of lymph nodes.
• Active salivation, confirming the intoxication of the body.
• Swelling of the tongue, discharge from the eyes of a purulent consistency - with severe lesions.

• Tachycardia and loss of consciousness in especially difficult cases.
• Unstable body temperature.
• General anxiety is the result of overexcitation of the nervous system.

Scorpion sting: first aid and treatment

It is very important to react in a timely manner to the bite of a malicious insect, because passivity in such cases can cause serious consequences. What should I do if I bite a scorpion? In the first minutes, actions should be taken to prevent and slow the penetration of poison into the body.

• Try to squeeze out the poison or make a small incision in the place of the bite and suck in the poison. The liquid needs to spit out periodically. After the procedure, thoroughly rinse the mouth with water. It is very important that there is no wound in the oral cavity. The method is effective in the first 10 minutes from the time of injury.
• Place the affected area with alcohol and apply an antiseptic dressing. This will protect from getting into the microbes, which the scorpion could carry on its sting.
• Apply cold or apply a tight bandage to relieve swelling and reduce pain. This slows down the spread of the poison agent through the body.

• Affect the victim horizontally, ensuring complete immobility of the bitten limb.
• Do an injection of epinephrine or novocaine at the bite site, which temporarily blocks the absorption of the poison.
• Apply antiallergic drugs. The action on nerve cells will eliminate the "Atropine" prick.

• Urgently deliver the victim to the nearest medical institution for the provision of professional help and further treatment.

How to avoid a scorpion bite

In order not to become a victim of a scorpion, it is recommended:

• For overnight in nature, where there is a high probability of the presence of scorpions, to choose smooth surfaces, necessarily clearing them of foreign objects: dry branches, stones, etc .;
• Densely zashtorivat entrance to the tent;
• Before going to bed, scrupulous examination of tents, sleeping bags;
• In the morning shake out clothes and shoes;
• Do not wander at night on stony slopes, do not collect firewood for a fire;
• Do not walk without shoes on sandy beaches and desert places, since scorpions like to dig into the sand at a shallow depth;
• When meeting a dangerous insect, one should not tease him, try to touch the tail.

It is worthwhile to understand, what danger for the organism is the poison of the scorpion. It is a neurotoxic polypeptide, the substance is characterized by the ability to cause allergic reactions, stimulate the release of stress hormones and adversely affect brain tissue and nerve cells.

Treatment

With the bite of a non-venomous scorpion, treatment consists of treating the wound and removing pain sensations with cold or pain medications. In cases more complicated, the victim is required to ensure peace; In the presence of high blood pressure and muscle spasms, appropriate drugs and antitoxin serum, destroying the poison, are prescribed. In the first 12 hours after the bite, the patient is forbidden to take any food. In case of severe scorpionism (in the medical terminology, scorpion bite is called), the patient is provided with blood circulation and patency of the respiratory tract with parallel use of funds, whose action is aimed at eliminating shock and dehydration. Appointed "Phenobarbital", "Diazepam", adrenoreceptors - drugs that block the resulting symptoms of poison.

It is noteworthy that the murderous poison of the scorpion carries no danger for the latter, while a person can cause paralysis and cerebral edema.

Consequences of a meeting with a scorpion

The bite of a scorpion, if the latter is not poisonous, does not have severe consequences for the organism, in light cases it even looks like a bee. To remind of an unpleasant vital moment small swellings in a place of a lesion which literally in couple of days will disappear can. In severe cases (for example, when bitten by a wood scorpion), poison can get into the blood, cause a severe form of allergy and even cause a fatal outcome. It is very dangerous to bite a scorpion, the consequences of which can be simply unpredictable, for people with weakened immunity, the elderly and children. It is worth knowing that the development of poisoning depends on the height of the lesion: the lower the site of the bite, the less likely the occurrence of serious reactions.

It's useful

Approximately 95% of deaths and 80% of severe poisonings are recorded after meetings with the fat-tailed species of the species - androktonus (from the ancient Greek "killing men"), inhabiting the forests and deserts of North Africa. The bite of a scorpion, whose treatment can sometimes turn into a huge problem, is insensitive because of the presence in the venom of strong neurotoxins, which exert a toxic effect on the nervous system and the heart. The poison of such an insect leads to a lethal outcome within 7 hours from the moment of defeat. A person has severe intoxication, the child has attacks of suffocation. In this case, life can only be saved by an antidote.

A water scorpion is a scorpion?

The scorpion's namesake - a water scorpion that lives in water bodies with inactive water - can also cause trouble for the person. In fact, it is a bug that resembles its southern counterpart. It bites as painfully, but is not dangerous. There is no need for special treatment; Itching and discomfort can be eased by attaching the cold to the bite and treating it with an antiseptic.

Scorpio is an insect that always evokes increased interest. Mysterious and inaccessible, he carries on his sharp sting a mortal danger to man. Therefore, when meeting such a representative of the world of fauna, one should maintain self-control and try to avoid biting as much as possible.