Causes and risk factors
As the name suggests the complaints are caused due bite of a honey bee or bumble bees. The bees posses a sting. On biting the bee leaves the sting inside the skin. Through this sting the venom is injected into the skin. This venom causes development of symptoms.
Clinical presentation:
The symptoms can range from mild to severe form. Immediately after a bee sting the patient experiences a severe pain at the site of affection. Pricking type of pain is felt. The affected site becomes red and is swollen along with it a marked burning sensation is felt. Small raised eruptions which are red in color can occur. Intense itching is another symptom of which the patients can complaint of, resulting into edema of the surrounding tissue known as angioedema. The size and shape of the skin lesion may vary from person to person. Some patients who are very sensitive or allergic can suffer from serious complaints. Such patients complain of difficulty in breathing, hoarness of voice and dizziness. It can also cause some serious complications like anaphylactic shock characterized by difficulty in breathing, choking, and accumulation of fluids in lungs (Pulmonary edema) and in severe cases anaphylaxis can lead to death.
Investigations:
Diagnosis can be done on the basis of the symptoms narrated by the patients and the physical examination carried out by the doctor. The detail history taken from the patient will help the doctor to evaluate the cause. However there is no exact diagnostic test for confirming the bee sting. The logged sting at the site of the bite is confirmatory. Routine blood test and allergy test can be recommended by the consultant.
Treatment:
Removal of the bee sting is the first line of treatment. The sting is scraped off using a sterile needle. The affected site should be washed with water and a soothing ointment can be applied. Ice pack application can help to reduce the swelling. Pain relieving medications, anti histamines and anti allergic medications are advised. In severe cases the patient is hospitalized and is kept under medical observation
Other modes of treatment:
Certain other modes of treatment can also be helpful in coping up the symptom. Taking into consideration the symptoms in holistic way, homoeopathy can offer a good aid for the relief of the symptoms. The Ayurvedic system of medicine which uses herbs and synthetic derivates can also be beneficial in combating the complaints.
