Abstract

Background & Method: The aim of this study is to study clinical profile of snake bite. The bites were classified as venomous and non-venomous based on clinical features. In venomous bites an attempt was made to determine whether they were bitten by elapidae or viperidae based on the description or examination (when brought) of the offending snake. Also whenever the patient had or developed unequivocal neuroparalysis or haemotoxic manifestation, they were assigned to elapidae or viperidae respectively.
 
Result: Anxiety was the common symptom (72%) seen in patients after snake bite. It was found in both poisonous and non-poisonous bites, and subsided once the patient received any form of treatment including that from a traditional healer. Ptosis (78%) was found to be the most common symptoms followed by ophthalmoplagia (60%) and vomiting (44%).
 
Conclusion: Most common age group is 20-50 years. Adult males are more prone to the bites during night and most common site of bite was lower limb. Poisonous bites are more common than non-poisonous in hospitalized patients. Anxiety was the most common symptom following snake bite. In neurotoxic envenomation ptosis was the commonest and earliest symptom while in hemotoxic envenomation, most common symptoms were bleeding from bite site and hematuria.
Snake bite is more common in males (72%) than females (28%). The incidence of venomous snake bite was 62% whereas non poisonous constituted 38%. Among poisonous bites neurotoxic manifestations (60%) were common than hemotoxic manifestation (2%). Local toxicity also appeared in 25% of patients.