Epidemiological profile and outcomes of snakebite injuries treated in emergency departments in South Korea, 2011–2016: a descriptive study

Abstract

Abstract Background Snakebite is a global public health crisis, but there are no nationwide data on snakebite in South Korea. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological profile and outcomes of snakebite cases in South Korea seasonally. Methods The selected subjects were patients of all ages with a chief complaint of snakebite who presented to participating emergency departments (EDs) between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016. Results A total of 1335 patients were eligible for the study. There were an average of 223 snakebite cases reported each year. Most snakebites occurred during the summer months (55.9%) in patients aged 40–59 y (36.3%) and males (61.5%). Snakebites occurred most frequently on Mondays (22.9%) between 12:00 and 17:59 h (42.0%) outdoors (57.9%) and in farm areas (20.7%). Over 82% of the bites were by venomous snakes across all seasons, and 66% of the patients visited EDs without using emergency medical services. Based on the excess mortality ratio-adjusted injury severity score, 88, 9.2 and 2.8% had mild, moderate and severe injuries, respectively. There were 10 fatalities during the study period. Conclusion This study provides essential information to understand and assess the burden and distribution of snakebites in South Korea and provides valuable information for developing appropriate prevention and control interventions to address it.