| Hymenoptera
Bee Sting Allergy The
spring and summer months bring people outdoors. Insects,
including bees, wasps, and fire ants, become more
active as well. Eventually people and stinging insects
come into contact with each other, often with painful
results. Sometimes, bee, wasp and fire ant stings
can cause life-threatening anaphylaxis.
As with any other type of allergy,
allergic reactions to bee stings require prior sensitization.
If someone has never been stung before, they are not
allergic. Allergic reactions can occur with the second
sting or with the one-hundreth sting, but never the
first sting.
Anaphylactic reactions are
fairly easy to determine on clinical grounds alone.
Local pain and swelling are expected after a bee sting
and not a cause for concern. Also large local reactions,
while painful, are not dangerous as long as they do
not involve the airway. Neither of these two reactions
identifies patients at increased risk for anaphylactic
reactions to bee stings other than creating the possibility
of sensitizing the patient to bee venom.
About The Author
Gary B. Moss M.D
www.allergydocs.net
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