Venom effects

Cassification of venom effects and clinical envenoming and poisoning patterns.

We adopted a toxinological approach, relating observable clinical effects to the pathophysiology of envenoming and the primary targets of venoms and poisons in humans.

The following effects were considered:

• Autopharmacological effects
• Local effects
• Haematological effects
• Neurological effects
• Muscular effects
• Cardiac effects
• Renal effects

This categorisation attempts to distinguish between the primary and secondary effects of venoms and poisons. The primary effects of venom components can inform supportive therapeutic options and immediate life-saving interventions apart from antivenom therapy. And, also, when combined into envenoming patterns, venom effects help identifying a culprit that has not been (clearly) recognized.
This is straightforward in some cases and more challenging in others. For instance, the effects on the neuromuscular junction (i.e. interference with acetylcholine-based neurotransmission) are unambiguous. The subsequent clinical effects — muscular paralysis (including that of the respiratory muscles) leading to respiratory failure — are clearly primary. 
In the case of other venom effects, distinguishing between primary and secondary effects is less clear-cut; the latter being the common final pathway when organ systems fail. Furthermore, the complex mixtures of active substances in venoms in many venomous and poisonous animals still need to be better understood.