Epidemiologia dos acidentes ofídicos, Estado do Ceará, Brasil (2007-2013).

Abstract

The cases of snakebites are a public health issue for countries from tropical regions. This study is a retrospective research to describe and analyze the epidemiological characteristics of cases of snakebites in the State of Ceará, Brazil, from 2007 to 2013. Data was collected from the Injury Notification Information System database of the Health Department of Ceará. A total of 4,058 cases were analyzed. Snakebites were distributed in every month of the year, occurring most between the months from March (n = 437) to July (n = 479). Most cases affected young men (n = 3,275), aged between 20 and 29 years old (n = 696), with low educational level (n = 1,821), brown skin (n = 2,729), rural residents (n = 3,327) and workers (n = 1,360). The cases occurred predominantly in rural areas (n = 3,623) and unrelated to the work (n = 1 984). The genus Bothrops was responsible for the largest number of cases (n = 3,319). The part of the body most affected by the bites was the foot (n = 2,027). Most of the victims was attended between 1 and 3 hours after the accident (n = 1,718). There were more local events (n = 3,468) that systemic (n = 785). The most frequent site symptom was pain (n = 3,211) and systemic were hemorrhagic manifestations (n = 262). Most cases were classified as mild (n = 2,463) and were cured (n = 3,564). The antivenom was administered in most cases (n = 3,534). The snakebites in the State of Ceará may be considered an environmental health problem. Additional training for health professionals appear to be necessary to enhance their ability to collect epidemiological data and to improve the care of victims of snakebites.