Midge bite allergy - quick and effective treatments

When an adult or child bites a midge after some time, pain, burning, swelling and itching occur. All these are signs of an allergic reaction occurring in the body. Sometimes the clinical picture is not limited only to external symptoms and a person develops Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock. An allergy to a midge bite needs a quick and effective treatment that helps to avoid serious consequences. Therapy consists in the use of antihistamines for internal and external use, as well as means to reduce the severity of symptoms.

Characteristic features of pathology

Cats are insects that feed on human blood and lymph. Flying on the smell of sweat, they gnaw at pieces of the dermis, releasing saliva toxic to the human body in the wound. The substances contained in it interfere with blood clotting, which allows the midge to eat until it is fully saturated. Saliva also contains compounds with the properties of anesthetics. A person does not feel pain during skin damage, and swelling and redness notice only after a couple of hours.

An allergic reaction resulting from a midge bite is called simulidotoxicosis and special treatment methods have been developed for it. Doctors refer to this term as a toxic-allergic pathology that develops insect saliva after penetration into the systemic circulation. It is characterized by the occurrence of a bite at the site:

• papules;
• swelling
• itchy skin;
• blood flow to the damaged dermis.

The midge venom is hemolytic, that is, it prevents the formation of a blood clot in a blood clot. This physiological process is necessary for the rapid healing of wound surfaces. If not for the characteristics of the insect venom, the regeneration of microscopic skin lesions would take only a few hours. Some varieties of midges can infect humans and animals with dangerous infections - onchocerciasis, anthrax, tularemia. In our country, such insects are rare, since their usual habitat is the countries of Asia and Africa.

Allergy-provoking factors

In the warm season, midges attack any person. The probability of being bitten increases on a walk in the forest or along the shore of a reservoir. Even the use of modern repellents cannot always prevent an insect attack. However, many children and adults do not develop simulidotoxicosis. They only form small swelling on the skin, accompanied by itching and do not develop an allergic reaction to a midge bite. With proper treatment with folk remedies or pharmacological preparations, negative symptoms disappear after a couple of hours.

And in a small number of people, the bite of even one midge becomes the cause of Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock. Doctors distinguish several factors that provoke a strong severity of an allergic reaction in humans:

• Heredity.In the presence of a genetic predisposition to bites of blood-sucking insects, the risk of developing an allergy increases significantly. If one of the parents almost always has symptoms of a sensitization reaction after an insect attack, then a child with a 50% probability of passing on such a feature of the body;
• Weakened immunity. After a viral or bacterial infection, in the postoperative period, a person is at the recovery stage. The body's defenses are reduced, and the immune system is not able to fully respond to the penetration of allergic agents;
• Chronic pathology of the urinary system. The decrease in the functional activity of the kidneys, bladder, and urethra does not allow the poison of midges to be rapidly excreted from the body. It accumulates in the bloodstream and soft tissues, contributing to the development of general intoxication. Doctors often diagnose in these patients pathological changes in the cardiovascular system, provoked by an insect bite.

Allergic reactions after an attack of midges can occur in people at the stage of relapse of any chronic disease. Children are also at risk, as their immunity is not yet sufficiently strengthened, and the permeability of blood vessels is much higher than that of an adult.

Clinical picture

After an attack of midges, some time passes before the appearance of painful sensations. The reason for this is the anesthesia of the wound surface with insect saliva at the time of cutting a piece of skin. The midge venom has an analgesic effect, which allows it to be saturated with biological fluid from one wound.

“This is interesting: A person becomes a victim of an attack only by females who need blood and lymph to reproduce. Male midges are completely harmless, because they only need flower nectar to maintain their vital functions. ”

At the initial stage of an allergic reaction, local symptoms occur:

• in place of damaged skin areas, pain, burning;
• edema, redness, rashes form on the site of a common point hemorrhage;
• there is an unbearable desire to comb the area of ​​the bite.

The more intense the pain, the more pronounced the symptoms of an allergic reaction become. This factor also depends on the number of insects that have attacked, their species, and the location of the damage.

After a few hours, simulidotoxicosis begins to manifest itself in the general symptoms of intoxication:

• rise in body temperature above 39 ° C;
• fever, chills;
• pain in the joints and muscles;
• headaches, dizziness, impaired coordination of movements;
• lethargy, weakness, apathy, fatigue;
• heart palpitations, and then a decrease in heart rate;
• drop in blood pressure to life-threatening values.

It should be borne in mind that all of the above symptoms of an allergy to midge bites, often precede Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock. After a couple of hours, the person begins to enlarge the lymph nodes, and when you touch them, painful sensations arise. One of the most unpleasant signs of an allergy is itchy skin. Even adults can hardly resist combing the bite area.

“This is interesting: Doctors noted a particular pattern - the more intense itching, the less pronounced signs of general intoxication. "The human body prevents toxic damage to the liver, heart, stomach by increasing the intensity of local symptoms."

When combing the skin, cracks and scratches form on it. Pathogenic bacteria, most often staphylococci, penetrate open wound surfaces. In the process of active growth and reproduction, they become the cause of infectious lesions of the skin, and sometimes the mucous membranes.

Treatment

The duration of the course of simulidotoxicosis can be 10-14 days. With proper medical care, this time is significantly reduced. But neglect of medical advice and self-medication often leads to serious consequences for the body of a child and an adult. It is necessary to contact a hospital with an increase in the severity of allergy symptoms, a sharp deterioration in the well-being of the victim, the spread of edema and redness to healthy areas of the skin.

Conservative therapy

Treatment for an allergy to a midge bite consists in eliminating the symptoms and quickly removing insect venom from the body. The sooner therapy begins, the faster recovery occurs. Avoid the development of general intoxication of the body will allow measures for first aid to the victim. What should be done immediately after a midge bite:

• wash damaged skin with liquid antiseptics with antimicrobial activity: Furacilin, Chlorhexidine bigluconate, hydrogen peroxide, 40% ethyl alcohol solution;
• give the victim a tablet of any antihistamine drug - Zodak, Zirtek, Loratadin, Suprastin, Tavegil, Claritin.

All antiallergic drugs have a pronounced side effect - they cause drowsiness. Therefore, for several hours after taking the drug, the victim should not drive a car, perform work requiring concentration.

“Warning: It is strictly forbidden to try to squeeze out the midge poison or cauterize the wounds with pure alcohol. This will not only damage the skin, but also significantly enhance the general intoxication of the body. "

Dermatologists prescribe antihistamines for external use to treat an allergic reaction. They can be used only on the recommendation of a doctor, since hormones are part of some products. Antihistamine ointments, gels and creams have decongestant, anti-inflammatory and antipruritic effects, and the use of some of them contributes to the rapid healing of the skin. The following therapeutic agents possess the greatest therapeutic efficacy:

• Sinaflan;
• Fenistil gel;
• Triderm;
• Cynovit;
• Hydrocortisone ointment;
• Psilo balm;
• Elokom;
• Gistan;
• Celestoderm;
• balm Lifeguard.

In the case of rapid development of complications, the doctor prescribes the use of glucocorticosteroids in injectable forms. Typically, intramuscular administration of such hormonal drugs is practiced:

• Hydrocortisone;
• Dexamethasone;
• Prednisone.

"Warning: Glucocorticosteroids are prescribed for severe allergy symptoms, when there is a high probability of Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock. In other cases, doctors prefer to go without hormones for treatment because of the large number of serious contraindications they have. ”

To eliminate one of the symptoms of an allergy, a midge bite, swelling, diuretic drugs are often used:

• Veroshpiron;
• Furosemide;
• Trigrim;
• Hypothiazide;
• Lasix.

Do not exceed the dosage of diuretics recommended by your doctor, as well as the duration of their intake. Diuretics not only speed up urination, but also remove beneficial trace elements and biologically active substances from the body.

Traditional medicine recipes

Traditional healers recommend treating swelling of skin itching with medicinal plants: plantain, dandelion, burdock. Young leaves need to be crushed to a state of slurry, wrapped in a sterile bandage and applied to the site of the bite. If the house has only dry medicinal herbs, then you can prepare an infusion:

• pour 2 tbsp in a thermos tablespoons of dandelion and plantain, pour a glass of boiling water;
• insist for two hours, strain and cool;
• moisten a sterile napkin in the infusion and apply to damaged skin.

Mint and lemon balm infusions prepared according to this recipe will help to eliminate not only edema, but also uncomfortable sensations. Instead of medicinal plants, essential oils are also used in allergy therapy:

• St. John's wort
• succession;
• daisies;
• geraniums;
• tea tree;
• juniper;
• palmarosa.

To prepare the treatment mixture, a drop of any essential oil should be shaken with a tablespoon of water. The resulting emulsion needs to soak a cotton pad and periodically wipe the inflamed skin. Edema caused by an allergy to midges, well eliminate solutions from improvised means:

• soda;
• salt.

To prepare soda or salt lotions, you need to dilute a teaspoon of food product in a glass of water. Place the tissue soaked in the solution at the site of the bite and keep until completely dry.

Traditional healers recommend drinking plenty of fluids to quickly remove midges from the body. You can use ordinary clean water, compotes from cherry plum and sour apples, fruit drinks from red and black currants. Green tea with a spoon of flower honey and a slice of lemon has good detoxifying properties.