What are the symptoms of a scorpion sting?

Mosquito bites are quite common in our daily life, and scorpion stings also need attention, because scorpions are high in venom. If you are itchy from a scorpion sting, you must take timely treatment measures. Usually after being stung by a scorpion, large areas of skin redness, swelling and severe pain may occur. Some patients will show symptoms such as chills, fever, nausea, muscle rigidity, and even respiratory failure.

1. Main toxins

There is a hook-shaped stinger at the end of the scorpion's tail that is connected to the venom gland, through which the venom enters the wound when it stings someone. Scorpion venom contains toxic proteins, mainly neurotoxins, hemolytic toxins, hemorrhagic toxins, and toxins that cause heart and blood vessel contraction.

2. Symptoms

The area stung by a scorpion often develops large areas of redness, swelling, and severe pain. In mild cases, the symptoms disappear after a few days, while in severe cases, there may be chills, fever, nausea and vomiting, muscle rigidity, salivation, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, night sweats, rapid breathing, and even convulsions and internal bleeding, edema, and other lesions. After a child is stung, he or she may die from respiratory or circulatory failure in severe cases.

3. Treatment measures

When you are stung by a scorpion, you should immediately tie a handkerchief, cloth belt or rope 3-5 cm above the wound (near the heart end), pull out the poison hook at the same time, and use squeezing, sucking and other methods to try to squeeze the blood containing toxins out of the wound. If necessary, ask a doctor to cut open the wound to absorb the venom to prevent blood contaminated by scorpion venom from flowing into the heart. Use both hands to squeeze the wound hard around it until the blood is squeezed out; then apply some strong soapy water or alkaline water to the local area. Wash the wound with 3% ammonia water, 5% soda water or 0.5% potassium permanganate, or grind alum and mix it with vinegar to make a paste and apply it to the wound.