Comparison of snakebite in children and adults in Nigeria.

Snakebite envenoming is a major global public health problem and disproportionately affects children. To study the differences in clinical presentation and outcomes between children and adults, 2922 snakebite patients of whom 30.3% were children were analysed. Most bites (>75%) were in the lower. Features of local envenoming were commoner among children compared to adults (p < 0.05), while systemic envenoming features, mortality and complications were similar, p = 0.356, p = 0.12, and p = 0.16 respectively.