Snake bites may cause pain and swelling around the site of the bite, or there may be very few signs left on the skin. Symptoms that snake venom has entered your body may include dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties, nausea, muscle weakness or paralysis.
Generalized aching, stiffness and tenderness of muscles develop 0.5 to 3.5 hours after the bite. Trismus is common. Myoglobinuria secondary to rhabdomyolysis appears 3 to 8 hours after the bite.
General symptoms include; headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, collapse, convulsions. Beware anxiety as a cause of general symptoms. Local symptoms vary from minimal to obvious bite marks, local pain, swelling, or bruising.
A snakebite victim who has been released from the hospital should return to medical care immediately if their symptoms get worse, especially if they have trouble breathing, a change in mental status, evidence of bleeding, worsening pain, or worsening swelling.
You may not always know you were bitten by a snake, especially if you were bitten in water or tall grass. Signs and symptoms of a snakebite may include the following: Two puncture marks at the wound. Redness or swelling around the wound.
Bacterial wound infection is a major cause of wound complications. As many as 30.8% of snake bite victims suffer wound infections (6).
Serum sickness is a delayed reaction that can develop four to 14 days after receiving antivenom. The most commons signs are: fever • rash Page 2 • muscle or joint pain • feeling unwell. If you develop any of these signs, make an appointment to see your local doctor and tell them you have received antivenom.
Do not apply a tourniquet. Do not slash the wound with a knife. Do not suck out the venom. Do not apply ice or immerse the wound in water.
Notes: Snake bite first affects the blood circulation. Patients bitten by snakes with venom that affects normal blood clotting may have a higher risk of internal bleeding into the brain and other organs, and those affected by dermonecrotic toxins will experience more severe local tissue damage.
Other common initial symptoms of pit viper and viper bites include lethargy, bleeding, weakness, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms may become more life-threatening over time, developing into hypotension, tachypnea, severe tachycardia, severe internal bleeding, altered sensorium, kidney failure, and respiratory failure.
Venom may cause changes in blood cells, prevent blood from clotting, and damage blood vessels, causing them to leak. These changes can lead to internal bleeding and to heart, respiratory, and kidney failure.
Snake venoms, in particular, have evolved a wide diversity of peptides and proteins that induce harmful inflammatory and neurotoxic effects including severe pain and paralysis, hemotoxic effects, such as hemorrhage and coagulopathy, and cytotoxic/myotoxic effects, such as inflammation and necrosis.
Acute kidney injury is an important complication of snake bite and a proper supportive management after the anti-venom administration is of utmost importance for a good patient outcome. Tubular necrosis and cortical necrosis are the main causes of AKI [8].
If there's a family of snakes you don't want to anger, it would be the vipers. While these snakes don't always have the most deadly bites, they have the most painful ones. Van Wallach of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology has had several viper bites; the worst one, he said, "came from an African bush viper.
Effects of Snakebite
Early symptoms can include pain, throbbing and swelling spreading from the bite, although some highly venomous snakes have a relatively painless bite. Later symptoms depend on snake species and can include: Non-specific: nausea, vomiting, faintness and/or dizziness, drowsiness, weakness.
The black mamba, for example, injects up to 12 times the lethal dose for humans in each bite and may bite as many as 12 times in a single attack. This mamba has the fastest-acting venom of any snake, but humans are much larger than its usual prey so it still takes 20 minutes for you to die.
Piercing Rejection
The rejection may be due to poor quality of snake bite piercing jewelry or trauma. Symptoms of piercing rejection have reddish and flaky skin around the location of the piercing and enlarged holes. To treat this, you should immediately remove the jewelry and try it on once the piercing heals.
Most snake bites occur when a rattlesnake is handled or accidentally touched by someone walking or climbing. The majority of snakebites occur on the hands, feet and ankles.
Snake bites may cause pain and swelling around the site of the bite, or there may be very few signs left on the skin. Symptoms that snake venom has entered your body may include dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties, nausea, muscle weakness or paralysis.
About 7,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States annually. Only 0.2% (1 out of 500) venomous snakebites result in death.
A venomous snake bite will usually leave two clear puncture marks. In contrast, a nonvenomous bite tends to leave two rows of teeth marks. It can be difficult to tell the difference between puncture wounds from venomous and nonvenomous snakes. People should seek medical attention for all snake bites.
Do not allow the victim to eat or to drink water in order to keep metabolism at low rate. No water No food is the golden rule. DO NOT COVER THE BITE AREA AND PUNCTURE MARKS. The wound should be gently cleaned with antiseptic.