[Epidemiological profile of snake poisoning accidents in the State of Amapá].

This study presents the epidemiological profile of snake poisoning accidents notified to the Health Department of the State of Amapá. For this, 909 records over the period from 2003 to 2006 were analyzed. The greatest frequency of bites was in the year 2004, with 255 cases recorded, followed by the year 2006 with 246 cases. The largest numbers of patients were in the age range between 20 and 34 years (30%). The genera Bothrops and Crotalus accounted for 67.5% and 0.7% of the accidents, respectively. Snakes that are considered non-venomous caused 0.2% of the accidents, and it was not possible to identify the species in 31.2% of the cases. Male individuals were more affected (80.6%). The highest incidence of bites was on the lower limbs (68%). The accidents mostly occurred in rural areas (62.7%), during balanced work circumstances (60%) or leisure activities (15.6%). The time elapsed from the bite to attending the patient was 12 hours (29%). Among the snake poisoning accidents, 263 were classified as mild, 187 as moderate and 193 as serious.