Insect bites

Insect Bites Summer is terrific, everyone wants to get out and have fun, but then they get bugged by--you guessed it--bugs. It’s bad enough that insects can be a pest, but there are some that will bite, and some of those can cause tremendous harm.

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Mosquito bites are for the most part annoying. The itching can wake us at night, and it seems no matter what you put on the bite itself, the itching continues. A mosquito bite is a reddish bump on the skin, which may sometimes be red around the area from scratching. Most of the time the bites are harmless, however it is possible to contract West Nile Virus from a mosquito bite. That is a condition that mimics a severe case of the flu; however in patients with compromised immune systems it could be fatal.

Tick bites are common for people that camp or hike regularly in the woods. The sooner a tick can be removed, the less the chance of complications. Lyme disease comes from certain tick bites, and can cause a number of problems. The patient can suffer from severe body aches, and extreme lethargy. This can last for months with some patients, and can cause interference in every area of their lives. The best advice for patients that have removed a tic is to be sure the head is removed, and then wash the affected area well with soap and water.

Watch for redness surrounding the bite for several weeks, and if none occurs it should be fine.

Fire ants are a southern bug, and they are extremely painful. Fire ants attack in numbers and will swarm a leg and be up and on the body in a split second. They bite, and it feels like bee stings, however where there is one fire ant there are hundreds, so the bites are in numbers as well. Fire ant bites appear as small pimples and itch while at the same time can be painful as well. Fire ant bites should be washed, and generally treating them with an over the counter antiseptic will decrease itching and discomfort.

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Spider bites can range drastically. Some spider bites are harmless, and in fact we don’t often realize we have been bitten. On the other hand, some spiders are very toxic and can cause illness and even death. The black widow spider is one most often associated with death in the United States; however there are other spiders that can cause the same outcome. Brown recluse spiders have grown in

population over the past few years, and emergency rooms are seeing more patients from these bites than ever before. The brown recluse causes the tissue near the bite to die off. It can grow in size around the bite, and cause dead tissue to expand as well. Most of the time patients can be prescribed antibiotics and the affected bite will clear up, but not in every case. One patient had worked in a park on her college break, cleaning around picnic shelters, when she was bitten by a brown recluse. Her upper thigh itched at first, and then began to get very red and hot to the touch. By the time she came to the hospital she had a very bad infection. Surgery removed a large portion of the skin on her thigh, and she required a second surgery 4 days later, as more tissue than anticipated was dying off. Eventually she was ok, however her leg had muscle and tissue removed that required rehabilitation therapy to regain strength.

Bug bites will happen; we share the planet with the little pests. Most patients that have been bitten by an insect will simply treat it by washing, and applying a topical antiseptic. If the area looks red or is warm to the touch, the patient may need antibiotics, which the physician will determine.

If a patient calls and questions if they should be seen for an insect bite, the best judgment is any pain, swelling, or redness is cause for medical treatment. If in doubt, have them be seen to rule out anything serious that requires treatment.

Related: Noteworthy Registered Nurse, Patricia A. Lee, RN, will be Highlighted in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare