Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8557963 | Wilderness & Environmental Medicine | 2018 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
There are 3 species of hump-nosed pit vipers in Sri Lanka: Hypnale hypnale, Hypnale zara, and Hypnale nepa. The latter 2 are endemic to the country. Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) is a known complication of hump-nosed pit viper bites. It was previously documented as a complication of general viper bites and not species specific. We report a series of 3 patients who developed MAHA after being bitten by each species of hump-nosed pit viper. The first patient was bitten by H hypnale and developed a severe form of MAHA associated with acute kidney injury and thrombocytopenia falling into the category of thrombotic microangiopathy. The other 2 developed MAHA that resolved without any complications.
Keywords
Related Topics
Health Sciences
Medicine and Dentistry
Emergency Medicine
Authors
Rathnayaka Mudiyanselage M.K. MBBS, MA, MSc in Medical Tox., Dip. in Tox., Dip. in OH&S., Anusha Nishanthi MBBS, Senanayake A.M. MBBS, MD, MRCP (UK), FRCP (Lond), Jayanthe BVSc, PhD, Shirani BVSc, M.Phil, PhD, Radha MBBS, Dip.in Pathology,