Stroke and snakebite: case report

• Main Author: Santos-Soares,Paulo César
• Publication Date: 2007
• Other Authors: Bacellar,Aroldo, Povoas,Heitor Portella, Brito,Alex Ferreira, Santana,Diana Lara Pinto
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria (Online)
• Download full: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2007000200030
• topic: snakebite; coagulopathy; stroke; Bothrops

Snakebites are common and lead to potential complications like neuromyopathies and strokes, these last associated with disturbances of blood coagulation. We report on a 65 years old woman of cerebral intraparenchymal hemorrhage associated with snakebite by a Bothrops jararaca that occurred in the Reconcavo of Bahia, BA, Brazil. The patient was submitted to a surgical evacuation of the hematoma, with a good result. This report is accompanied by a revision about the association among snakebite and neurological complications, emphasizing strokes. Statistics reveal a hight incidence of snakebite in the world, mainly in tropical countries and gets attention for his socioeconomic impact. The clinical and laboratorial characteristics to identify the victims that present a high risk of presenting strokes are discussed in order to identify early those patients, so that they may be treated in a more precocious and effective way.