Share:
Insect poison allergy is underestimated by many
An insecticide allergy is often underestimated. The consequences of a bee or wasp sting may be dramatic. In the worst case, sufferers may die from anaphylactic shock. Most adults are affected by an insect venom allergy, which can be treated well with a so-called immunotherapy, so that the patients are lifelong free of insect sting allergy. The success rate is up to 95 percent.
Symptoms of insect poison allergy go beyond swelling of the puncture site
After a bee or wasp sting the affected area reacts with a swelling. In most cases, redness also occurs. These symptoms are normal and considered safe. However, the situation becomes dangerous if the person concerned has other complaints. "If just a nettle rash covers the entire body off the sting site, if nausea occurs, if hoarseness occurs, then you have to see the doctor immediately," explains Eva Maria Varga, allergist and pediatrician in Graz, opposite "orf.at".
In a healthy person, around 1,000 bee stings are necessary to put him in a life-threatening condition. In case of an insect poison allergy, on the other hand, one stitch is enough. Sometimes the victim falls into a state of shock within a few minutes, which can be fatal, reports Gunter Sturm, a dermatologist at the University Hospital Graz, opposite the Internet portal. "We expect four to five deaths a year, the dark figure is probably slightly higher. Really in the hospital only a part of the Stung - so 20 to 30 percent - have severe symptoms and must be treated really acute. "
Experts advise sufferers to always carry an emergency kit containing an antihistamine, a cortisone preparation and an adrenaline pre-filled syringe. The latter is particularly important in the case of an insect sting, as adrenaline constricts the blood vessels in a matter of minutes in the event of a drop in blood pressure, thereby stabilizing the blood pressure and circulation.
Immunotherapy for insecticide allergy
Specific immunotherapy (hyposensitization) can liberate insecticidal allergy sufferers from their ailments for life. "This is a vaccine cure. You try with small insect poison doses to make the body tolerant. The initiation takes one or more weeks, after which the protection is already there, but then you have to continue it for another three or five years to get that protection for life, "says Sturm. The success rates are high. In bee stings, it is 90 percent and in wasp stings even 95 percent. The costs for the immunotherapy are taken over by the health insurance companies. Graz researchers are currently developing an eight-week therapy whose clinical tests should begin in the summer. (ag): luise