Treatment Scorpion Bites

Scorpions have been around for many thousands of years and there are over 2000 species. If the thought of them makes you shiver you are not alone.

Because some species carry a deadly venom many people have conceived a fear of scorpion bites and whether scorpion bite treatment is even possible, given that their poisonous venom can work so quickly.

Most of us are afraid of all scorpions in general with their threatening looking stinger tails.

However, not all scorpions are deadly.

The majority of stings only  produce a local reaction similar in effect to a bee sting and in recent years they have also gained some popularity as exotic and interesting pets with the best known variety of choice being the Emperor Scorpion.

These hardy insect cousins of the spider (all known as arachnids) exist in many parts of the world from the hot deserts of Africa to temperate mountain areas and humid forests.

All of them are poisonous to varying degrees.

Their bites can result in quite severe typical reactions or symptoms.

However a scorpion will only attack if threatened. They are usually harmless and timid and not all bites are dangerous.

A hit from a stinger scorpion may may be more due to accident than any intention on the part of the scorpion which usually only uses its sting to immobilize its prey and normally runs away if threatened. However once bitten, this may lead to a fairly severe localised reaction on and around the surface of the skin where the bite took place with intense pain at the site of the bite. Besides local swelling and redness at the site of the scorpion sting there may also be an experience of a sharp prickly kind of pain in the mouth, and the tongue may feel as if it is swollen too.

A more dangerous species such as the ‘deathstalker’ scorpion and the yellow fat-tailed scorpion might inflict a wound that leads to a more serious condition which affects the whole body which may cause drowsiness and result in immediate or delayed collapse. Other extreme reactions from the venom of the scorpion include an attack on the respiratory sytem causing a difficulty in breathing or feeling breathless, loss of vision and blindness.

The body may go into involuntary muscle spasms or cramps and there may be a loss of bowel function and bladder control. The poison may also cause excessive sweating, dribbling from the mouth, heart palpitations and heart failure. Treatment is complicated by the fact that these symptoms happen all at once and so this represents quite a challenge in terms of management of the bite reaction. Some of the body’s main functions and organs can be seriously threatened including possible internal haemorrhaging and paralysis.

However despite these alarming reactions, even if the victim may lose consciousness, it doesn’t often lead to death except in children and the vulnerable. Some scorpion venom doesn’t have an antidote, such as the Arizona bark scorpion so treatment consisits mainly of ‘waiting it out’ for 24 -48 hours until the uncomfortable symptoms subside.

Exceptions might include those more vulnerable such as young children, people who have a sensitivity to insect bites and go into Anaphylactic shock and older adults who are already suffering from high blood pressure and other diseases which are keeping the immune system occupied. If the venomous sting is not immediately lethal there are a number of things that can be done straight away to ease the pain and reduce the risk of death.

The first action to take would be to apply a tourniquet above the site of the sting (remembering to loosen it now and again to allow some blood flow to return to below the bitten area so as not to lose the limb). Cool the affected part with ice if available and give pain relief as soon as possible, either by injection or through the use of a local anaesthetic and if there is an antidote available or breathing difficulties are severe, get the patient to the hospital as soon as possible.

If you decide to have a scorpion as a pet a rule to remember is to never handle your scorpion.

Some species  can be fairly docile and relatively harmless but others are potentially lethal.

If you must handle your scorpion at all it is better to do it very gently with something like a long pair of soft tipped forceps.

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