Complications and Outcomes of Brown Recluse Spider Bites in Children

Brown recluse spider bites may cause severe local and systemic morbidity, but data regarding morbidity in children are limited. This study reviewed inpatient medical records (n = 26; 10 years) with a discharge diagnosis of “spider bite” from a tertiary pediatric hospital. The majority (85%) of child...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical pediatrics 2011-03, Vol.50 (3), p.252-258
Main Authors: Hubbard, Jonathan J., James, Laura P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acute Kidney Injury - epidemiology
Acute Kidney Injury - etiology
Adolescent
Anemia
Anemia, Hemolytic - epidemiology
Anemia, Hemolytic - etiology
Animals
Araneae
Bites
Cellulitis
Cellulitis - epidemiology
Cellulitis - etiology
Child
Children
Compartment syndrome
Complications
Data processing
Female
Hemolytic anemia
Hospitals
Humans
Infant
Inflammation
Inflammatory response
Insect bites
Kidneys
Male
Medical records
Morbidity
Necrosis
Necrosis - epidemiology
Necrosis - etiology
Pediatrics
Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases - toxicity
Renal failure
Retrospective Studies
Reviews
Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis - epidemiology
Rhabdomyolysis - etiology
Spider Bites - diagnosis
Spider Bites - epidemiology
Spider Bites - physiopathology
Spider Bites - surgery
Spider Venoms - toxicity
Spiders
Wounds
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Brown recluse spider bites may cause severe local and systemic morbidity, but data regarding morbidity in children are limited. This study reviewed inpatient medical records (n = 26; 10 years) with a discharge diagnosis of “spider bite” from a tertiary pediatric hospital. The majority (85%) of children had an inflammatory response accompanying necrosis, usually with signs of secondary cellulitis (77%). Hemolytic anemia (50%), rhabdomyolysis (27%), and acute renal failure (12%) were the most prevalent systemic effects. Hemolytic anemia was bimodal in distribution relative to the time-of-onset of the bite (early, 2.2 ± 0.4; late, 6.9 ± 1.5 days postbite, respectively; P = .004). Although no fatalities occurred in the population, 65% of children had major morbidity, including wound complications requiring surgical care and acute orbital compartment syndrome. The findings emphasize the importance of anticipatory patient/family education for outpatients and careful monitoring for systemic morbidity in inpatients. Timely and appropriate supportive care should yield favorable outcomes in most cases.
ISSN:0009-9228
1938-2707
DOI:10.1177/0009922810388510