EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF CASES OF SCORPION ACCIDENTS OCCURRING IN BRAZIL BETWEEN THE YEARS OF 2017 TO 2022

Abstract

Scorpion accidents are a public health problem, being the main type of accident among venomous animals. Thousands of accidents occur every year, due to ecological imbalance and climate change, which create favorable environments and climates for scorpion species. The toxin from these animals causes local and systemic symptoms that can lead to death. The objective of this work is to describe the profile of scorpionism cases in Brazil in the years 2017 to 2022. To this end, an ecological, descriptive study was carried out using the database of the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS) linked to the Ministry of Health. Observing a consistent growth trend in cases of scorpionism, with 2022 being the year with the highest number of cases (177,486), with the southeast and northeast regions having the highest rates, representing 79.66% and 72.67% of cases respectively, the incidence was also observed with a higher prevalence for males (89.31%) and females (88.92%), with a greater number of cases in the age group of 20-39 years, in addition, the majority of cases occur in people with incomplete higher education, with a tendency for more severe cases and mortality in children under one year of age, therefore, it was possible to better understand the epidemiological profile of scorpionism in Brazil.