Background: Loxoscelism is caused by the bite of spider Loxosceles laeta. It can cause a cutaneous or systemic syndrome.
Aim: To determine the epidemiológica! and clinical features of patients bitten by the Chilean recluse spider (Loxosceles laeta).
Material and methods: All communications received at a telephonic orientation center for intoxications during 2005 were analyzed, selecting those who involved patients with symptoms that suggested loxoscelism (i.e., pain, burning sensation, blue area, hematuria, fever or myalgia). These were derived to the emergency room for confirmation of the diagnosis. Forty-eight hours after the initial communication, patients were contacted by phone to find out about the definitive diagnosis. The variables analyzed were: gender, age, geographical location, time since exposure, part of the body involved, clinical signs and definitive diagnosis.
Results: Of 2,831 telephonic consultations with suspected loxoscelism, the diagnosis was confirmed in 287. All of these patients had cutaneous loxoscelism and only 7.3% of them developed visceral loxoscelism. Fifty six percent of patients with loxoscelism presented two or more clinical signs. The most common were a blue area, pain and a burning sensation, in 69%, 58% and 38% of patients, respectively. Fifty-one percent of patients developed signs within the first 12 hours. All patients with visceral syndrome presented with hemoglobinuria. No cases of loxoscelism were registered in areas located southern than the Xth region of Chile. There were no fatalities attributed to loxoscelism.
Conclusions: Most cases of loxoscelism of this series were cutaneous. The population must be educated about the clinical signs of spider bite to seek early and adequate medical treatment.