Clinical-epidemiological aspects of bothropic accidents notified in an Alagoas reference hospital

Abstract

Ophidic accidents constitute serious public health in tropical countries, due to the frequency that these events occur and their relevant magnitude of morbidity and mortality. In Brazil, there is an annual prevalence between 19.000 and 22.000 of these accidents, and among the cases that notify the species, it is possible to verify that the Bothrops genus is responsible for 80.50% of the cases. Objective: Describing the clinical and epidemiological aspects of bothropic accidents reported in a reference hospital in the state of Alagoas. Methods: Observational, descriptive cross-sectional, and retrospective study of the clinical records of patients admitted into the Escola Dr. Hélvio Auto Hospital for bothropic accidents from 2010 to 2018. Results: It shows that the year of 2017 was the most prevalent year of cases, through the investigation of 694 medical records. The epidemiological profile has been composed of male, adult, brown individuals, low education, rural workers, and characterized by occurring mostly in the Eastern Alagoas. Therefore, the clinical profile was characterized by the occurrence of the most affected anatomic region as lower limbs, manifestations of pain and edema, mild to moderate severity, and satisfactory clinical outcome. Conclusions: The investigation allowed to trace the clinical and epidemiological profile of bothropic accidents in the state of Alagoas, and also identify the social group composed of rural workers as the one with some demanding to access the hospital care accurately, and who was the population with the incidence of the highest severity.