The FDA approved the first treatment for scorpion stings last month. Although most scorpion stings are not deadly, if left untreated in vulnerable patients such as small children they can occasionally lead to convulsions and death. Over 250,000 people are stung by scorpions each year – most of them in Mexico. In the U.S., scorpion stings are most common in Arizona.
The new treatment is an antivenom called Anascorp. A clinical study documenting its effectiveness was published in the May 14, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine – the article can be downloaded for free.
No comments:
Post a Comment