Wasp sting
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A single wasp sting in a nonallergic person should be managed by standard first aid. Ice application can help symptoms.
It is known that:
- There are many treatments recommended on poor evidence base
- Topical aspirin paste is ineffective in reducing the duration of swelling or pain in bee and wasp stings compared to ice treatment and significantly increased the duration of redness.[1]
- Following wasp stings there are a wide variety of exceedingly rare neurological, haematological and cardiological conditions possibly associated in the literature.[2] Case reports exist of multiple wasp stings causing thrombotic events, prolonging the APTT.[3] or inducing acute renal failure by various mechanisms[4]
- Prior allergy is the only association with the rather rare mortality[5]
- Venom immunotherapy is unnecessary for most who are allergic to insect stings[6]
- In those where venom immunotherapy is considered justified, quality of life is better if given specific venom immunotherapy rather than prophylatic Epi-pen® (Adrenaline kit) [7]
References
- ↑ Balit CR, Isbister GK, Buckley NA. Randomized controlled trial of topical aspirin in the treatment of bee and wasp stings. Journal of toxicology. Clinical toxicology. 2003;41:801-8.
- ↑ Reisman RE. Unusual reactions to insect stings. Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology. 2005;5:355-8.
- ↑ Wang JL, Shen EY, Ho MY Isolated prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time following wasp sting. Acta Paediatr Taiwan. 2005; 46(3): 164-5
- ↑ Vikrant S, Pandey D, Machhan P, Gupta D, Kaushal SS, Grover N. Wasp envenomation-induced acute renal failure: a report of three cases. Nephrology (Carlton, Vic.) 2005;10:548-52. (Direct link – subscription may be required.)
- ↑ McGain F, Harrison J, Winkel KD. Wasp sting mortality in Australia. The Medical journal of Australia. 2000;173:198-200.
- ↑ Valentine MD, Schuberth KC, Kagey-Sobotka A, Graft DF, Kwiterovich KA, Szklo M, et al. The value of immunotherapy with venom in children with allergy to insect stings. The New England journal of medicine. 1990;323:1601-3.
- ↑ Oude Elberink JN, De Monchy JG, Van Der Heide S, Guyatt GH, Dubois AE. Venom immunotherapy improves health-related quality of life in patients allergic to yellow jacket venom. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 2002;110:174-82.
