Fatal Scorpion Envenomation: Report of Two Cases

Scorpion stings are a major health problem in tropical countries like Africa, India where the incidence of serious envenomations are very high. Among the different species of scorpions available, the Indian red scorpion, Mesobuthus tamulus is of medical importance in India. Its venom is water soluble, antigenic and consists of a heterogeneous mixture of cardiotoxins and neurotoxins. Scorpion envenomations are a life threatening time limiting emergency. Although adults are more often stung, the fatality rates are high in children because of their lower body mass. Scorpion sting causes a wide range of clinical symptoms ranging from severe local skin reactions to neurologic, respiratory and cardiovascular collapse. Most of the envenomations results in acute painful local reaction that can be treated with local analgesics. But some cases become fatal where death occur secondary to cardiac or respiratory failure. We present two such cases where the reported cause of death was pulmonary oedema.