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Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

As with stinging insects, such as bees and wasps, you can have an allergic reaction to a scorpion sting — sometimes severe enough to be life-threatening (anaphylaxis). Signs and symptoms are similar to those of bee stings and can include hives, trouble breathing, and nausea and vomiting. An allergic reaction may be wrongly attributed to the venom, which can cause different, but also dangerous, symptoms.

The very old and the very young are most likely to die of untreated venomous scorpion bites. The cause is usually heart or respiratory failure occurring some hours after the sting. Very few deaths from scorpion stings have been reported in the United States.

Preparing for your appointment Risk factors
References
  1. American Association of Poison Control Centers. 2008 annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' national poison data system (NPDS). Clinical Toxicology. 2009;47:911. http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/Portals/0/2008annualreport.pdf. Accessed Sept. 21, 2010.
  2. Suchard JR. Scorpion envenomation. In: Auerbach PS. Wilderness Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/219470238-2/1055986458/1483/419.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03228-5..50052-5_2506. Accessed Sept. 20, 2010.
  3. Gouge DH, et al. Scorpions. The University of Arizona. http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/az1223. Accessed Sept. 20, 2010.
  4. Scorpion stings. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec21/ch325/ch325h.html. Accessed Sept. 20, 2010.
  5. Chippaux JP, et al. Epidemiology of scorpionism: A global appraisal. Acta Tropica. 2008;107:71.
  6. Animal-associated hazards. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/animal-associated-hazards.aspx. Accessed Sept. 20, 2010.
  7. Boyer LV, et al. Antivenom for critically ill children with neurotoxicity from scorpion stings. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:2090.
  8. What to do in a medical emergency: Bites and stings. American College of Emergency Physicians Foundation. http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/EmergencyManual/WhatToDoInMedicalEmergency/Default.aspx?id=210#spider_bites_and_scorpion_stings. Accessed Sept. 20, 2010.
  9. FDA approves the first specific treatment for scorpion stings. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm266611.htm. Accessed Aug. 4, 2011.
DS01113 Aug. 13, 2011

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