Brown Snake Bite Cinical Symptoms

Hard to diagnose without history of bite due to brown snake bites not causing any local swelling or pain. Patient may complain of neurological symptoms within the hour. Symptomatology (combined symptoms of the disease) will manifest within a few hours with signs of coagulopathy, breathing problems and cardiovascular compromise. One distinct feature of brown snake bites is there is no rhabdomyolysis (rapid break down of skeletal muscles) which is found in most other snake bites.

Symptoms include:
· Early collapse (due to hypotension)
· Fang marks
· Little or no swelling and redness
· Coagulopathy - blood will have prolonged clotting times
· Headache
· Nausea and Vomiting
· Weakness
· Photophobia
· Irritability
· Diplopia – double vision
· Altered mental status
· Dyspnea – shortness of breath
· Epistaxis – nose bleed
· Gingival bleeding – bleeding gums
· Hematemesis – vomiting of blood
· Hematochezia – bloody stools
· Oliguria – no production of urine
· Dysphagia – difficulty in swallowing

Physical symptoms:
· Purpura – red or purple discolorations on the skin
· Petechia – small red or purple spot on the body cause by haemorrhaging
· Ptosis – drooping of upper eyelid
· Trismus – inability to open mouth normally
· Seizures
· Cyanosis – blue colouration of the skin
· Paralysis
· Hypotension
· Tachycardia or bradycardia – fast/slow heart beats
· Cardiac arrest
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic545.htm#section~Clinical
http://www.australianprescriber.com/magazine/29/5/125/9/
http://www.avru.org/health/health_browns.html