What causes bedbug allergy and is it possible to cure it?

If you find a small bug in your apartment, expect big troubles. Although direct evidence of human infection with diseases such as filariasis, hepatitis B, yellow fever, plague, syphilis and others has not been found, the fact that bedbugs carry the causative agents of these diseases is a scientific fact.

Allergy to bedbugs

Reasons for the human body’s response to bedbug bites

Bedbugs bite through the skin in search of blood only in open areas of the body. Any clothing, blanket, etc. becomes an obstacle to food. Therefore, the main troubles are caused by bed bugs while a person is sleeping. A long, characteristic trail of numerous bites appears due to the fact that the body does not react to the puncture of the skin. This is explained simply: along with saliva, a sexually mature insect secretes a special enzyme that causes local anesthesia at the site of the bite. At the same time, highly allergenic components enter the punctured area of ​​the body, preventing blood from clotting. The body’s response to the bite is erythema of the skin in this place, swelling. Allergic manifestations are observed, caused by the resistance of the immune system to foreign bodies that appear in the bloodstream.

Please note. When figuring out the answer to the question of whether there can be an allergy to bedbugs, it should be noted that allergic symptoms in a person are sure to occur during any contact with bedbugs. It’s just that in some people they manifest themselves more strongly, while others hardly notice them. It all depends on the body's resistance. At the same time, it reacts not to the bite itself, but to an enzyme released into the bloodstream along with saliva that prevents blood clotting.

What to do to avoid being bitten?

While the fight against bloodsuckers is ongoing, measures can be taken to, if not completely avoid bites, then reduce their number to a minimum.

The main way to protect yourself from attack is to use products that will repel parasites, such as electromagnetic repellers.

ATTENTION! Insects cannot tolerate odors that contain alcoholic tones.

What to put on your body to prevent bedbugs from biting you? You can buy cologne or perfume and use it before bed. However, we must remember that in order to achieve the best effect, you need to lubricate all possible exposed parts of the body. In this case, it will be necessary to repeat this procedure before going to bed every evening.

In addition to cologne, you can use essential oils or fish oil. You can prepare a decoction according to a folk recipe - you need to mix edible cloves and cologne in equal quantities. Then this infusion should be smeared on exposed parts of the body.

Treating your own body every day is not a very pleasant experience, so you can use chemicals designed for indoor treatment. They need to be sprayed:

• On the back and inside of furniture;
• The lower part of the mattress, carpets, paintings;
• In the gap between the baseboard and the floor.

In order to block the movement of parasites on the floor, you can place bunches of wormwood or pommel throughout the room - under the table, chairs, bed, nightstand. However, this method usually only helps for 2-3 days. During this time, they may switch to a more accessible victim, or due to severe hunger they will begin to ignore this smell.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with: Soldier bug, fighting it

The “Mashenka” chalk, which is familiar to housewives for fighting ants and cockroaches, has proven itself well.

You can also build bedbug traps.

They only bite at night, leaving behind a trail of intensely itchy blisters. They can cause discomfort and even cause allergies. In order to ease the sensation, the bites are washed with cold water, and then apply anti-itch ointments such as “Fenistil” and “Rescuer”, or use a large number of folk methods.

We hope now you won’t have the situation: you were bitten by bedbugs, what should you do? Now you know exactly what to do if you are bitten by a bug and you can help yourself and your loved ones in such a case.

In turn, these parasites can be scared away by smearing the exposed parts of the body with cologne or alcohol tincture, spreading bunches of wormwood and tansy.

However, such remedies will not work permanently - bloodsuckers will either find a new one.

food source

, or because of hunger they will not pay attention to the stimulus.

So, today we looked at the following issues - bedbug bites: treatment and prevention in adults and children. How to treat bed bug bites and their symptoms? Did you tell us what to put on bedbug bites to relieve the itching? What to put on to prevent bedbugs from biting?

Bite or allergy?

Typically, a person hardly reacts to the violation of the integrity of the skin by bedbugs, often mistaking redness and itching for mosquito bites. With high body resistance and good health, an allergy to a bite does not manifest itself. This is the reason for the misconception that bedbugs bite people “selectively.” The insect has its favorite “eating” places. These are those areas of the skin where the blood vessels come especially close to it, or the skin itself is thin. For these reasons, children and women most often wake up bitten. If at the site of a chain of 3-4 bites located along a small patchy bright red pigmentation of the skin is observed, accompanied by mild itching and slight swelling, we can say that these are bites, and the body reacts normally to them. With restlessness and constant scratching of the skin, the wound can be re-infected. Therefore, it is better to lubricate the marks with alcohol tincture and put ice.

This is what simple bites look like

Bedbugs, or rather their bites, are not so harmless for people who are hypersensitive to a specific enzyme. A person has a genetic predisposition to foreign bodies that enter the bloodstream with a bite, which causes allergies. In this case, the symptoms are often similar: the same itching, swelling and redness, only on a “global” scale. Simple methods do not help to eliminate them. The itching does not subside, swelling, like redness, affects large areas of the body, often merging into one large lesion. In this case, a sexually mature bug, anesthetizing the skin puncture site, can drink blood until it is completely saturated, i.e. about 10 minutes, all this time, releasing an anticoagulant into the wound.

How to relieve itching?

Most often, the problem arises of how to smear bedbug bites so that they don’t itch. After all, itching is the most common consequence of an attack by these insects. And sometimes it is so unbearable that when a person scratches the bites, wounds appear that can become infected. Therefore, it is best to use special remedies immediately after the first symptoms appear. Good for relieving itching:

• ammonia;
• Afloderm ointment;
• gel “Fenistil”;
• “Psilo-balm”;
• ointment “Rescuer”;
• cream “Baneotsin”.

Distinctive features of bedbug allergies

With numerous skin lesions, it is very difficult to correctly diagnose their origin. But if the body’s response in the form of characteristic symptoms appears within half an hour or 40 minutes after infection, then the allergy itself is diagnosed only after 24 hours.

Therefore, it is important to know how to distinguish an allergy from a bug bite. Allergic manifestations are expressed as follows:

• at the site of the bite, the resulting swellings become blisters;
• signs of a respiratory disease are characteristic: sneezing, runny nose, lacrimation;
• spasms occur when breathing;
• local swelling of the mucous membranes, skin of the face, torso, arms, and scrotum is observed;
• anaphylaxis: a dangerous, acute reaction.

Attention! When diagnosing the last two signs in a patient, emergency assistance must be provided immediately. This is caused by the rapidity of the body's reaction to the allergen: a sharp decrease in blood pressure, a drop in body temperature, difficulty breathing, the appearance of shortness of breath and possible suffocation.

This reaction cannot be ignored - urgently contact a specialist

Often occurring allergies after bedbug bites indicate that a person is generally susceptible to an acute reaction of the body to the bites of any insect parasitizing on him. Recurrent allergies are dangerous due to their consequences, which can manifest themselves in immune system failures. This can lead over time to chronic respiratory diseases, inflammation of the nasal mucosa, etc.

Treatment methods and quick help

The skin has the ability to regenerate itself, so even without much intervention, irritation from bites will go away over time. Unless, of course, an allergy manifests itself. We recommend using simple, publicly available methods that will reduce discomfort.

• The surest way is to wipe all wounds with a soda solution (dissolve two tablespoons of soda in cool water until dissolved); if you make a compress for several hours with this liquid, you can forget about swelling and redness.
• If there are no available remedies and the itching is unbearable, use pieces of ordinary ice, the unpleasant discomfort will quickly pass.
• In case of increased discomfort and to quickly relieve symptoms, use antihistamines (Claritin, Zyrtec, etc.)
• Ointments and gels will help relieve a person from negative consequences.

Children and bedbugs: a dangerous neighborhood

Children being at risk are explained by the following:

• not fully formed immunity, inability to resist infection by insect saliva;
• thin, almost transparent skin and closely spaced capillaries, which bedbugs bite through without much effort.

This is why allergies to bedbug bites are much more common in children. Although it manifests itself as in adults, it almost always occurs with complications. This is due to constant scratching of the bite sites and re-infection of the wounds.

Children's skin is hypersensitive to bedbug bites

How to get rid of bedbugs?

Having realized the reasons for the appearance of tiny marks on the body, you should not wait for them to develop into a problem for all residents of the house.

There are two ways to evict bedbugs from an apartment:

• The first with a guarantee of destruction is to order treatment by the Disinsection service. The cost is higher, but the effect is stronger and achieved faster. Based on work experience and the degree of occupancy of the room, a drug and treatment method (Hot or cold fog) are selected for you. The master touches the entire space, paying special attention to hard-to-reach places where parasites accumulate.
• The second, without a guarantee, is to treat the apartment yourself. This is an economical option, but it will require much more effort and time. You will have to purchase insecticides from the store and spray your apartment with them strictly according to the instructions.

Manifestation of allergic reactions

You cannot be completely sure that bedbugs will not harm your health. People who are prone to allergic reactions should be especially wary. Complications of symptoms most often occur in women and young children, as they have weakened immune systems. Another important factor is that men have rougher skin, which bedbugs cannot bite through and reach a blood vessel.

The body begins to wage an intensified struggle not only because of the damaged skin area itself. During the bite, bedbugs spray enzymes under the epithelium, which slow down the blood clotting process and anesthetize this kind of injection. The allergy can go away quickly and not get worse, but sometimes the symptoms intensify and it takes a long time to be treated. You can manage minor swelling and redness on your own. If you notice difficulty breathing, fever and swelling spreading to large areas of the skin, consult a doctor immediately.

It is unacceptable to prescribe antihistamines on your own and it is important to start treatment on time. In advanced cases and with individual intolerance to bedbug enzymes, anaphylactic shock and death occur. Did you see bedbugs and traces of their attack? Immediately begin disinsection of the premises and try to get rid of unwanted guests. You can try some methods of killing bedbugs yourself, but there is no guarantee. For the most effective results, use professional insecticides, or even better, contact the professionals of a specialized company. The pest control service knows what products should be used in a particular case and not harm others.

What can bites be confused with?

In the first years of life, when diagnosing an allergy in an infant, it will most often be related to food. At the beginning of his life, the baby begins to gradually learn about all the new dishes that are introduced into his diet. For example, when starting complementary feeding for a child, in 5 out of 10 cases parents experience allergic reactions. Feeding supplements other than breast milk is the most common cause of allergies and itching, so insects may not be to blame.

Reactions can also occur to various personal hygiene products, including lotions, soap, shampoo and much more. Even components contained in washing powder or a new toy purchased can cause inflammation.

Using hypoallergenic clothing and bedding for children does not guarantee the absence of allergic reactions. Malaise can be caused by various reasons, since at this age the child is exposed to external irritants.

As a result, new parents are faced with a host of questions and options. In such a situation, it is worth acting by the method of elimination. At the first signs of a rash on the baby's skin, keep a diary and enter information about the child's contacts with different surfaces and objects. Monitor as closely as possible what exactly your baby comes into contact with and what the skin reaction is after that. We must not forget that in addition to skin reactions, problems with the gastrointestinal tract or respiratory tract problems may occur. If digestion is disturbed or the child sneezes, then the cause of the disease is not related to insects.

If you have a rash, take careful control of the situation. Try to exclude all new objects and things after contact with which this reaction could occur. If you exclude all the options listed above, then the likelihood of bedbugs entering the children's room will be very high. In this case, the rash will intensify significantly.

To detect small bloodsuckers in a room, there are a number of additional indirect signs:

• You can see small black dots on the underwear. This is what the excrement of these insects looks like. They are best seen on light-colored sheets;
• Small bloody spots on the bed. In order to determine whether it is blood or something else, you can use hydrogen peroxide. Upon contact with a blood stain, it will begin to hiss and foam will appear;
• The presence of a smell in the room that is somewhat similar to cognac or almonds also indicates the possibility of uninvited guests.

Be sure to carefully monitor your baby. Changes in his behavior may signal the appearance of bedbugs. Most often the signs will be as follows:

• The baby refuses to go to his bed;
• During sleep, you can hear him moaning or crying;
• Begins to touch his face and body in a random manner, attempts to scratch the skin;
• Became more moody or nervous.

It is extremely difficult to find out exactly how many of these small parasites have settled in your home. Even in complete darkness, bed bugs try to hide in places that are very difficult to detect. But it’s quite possible to take the little bloodsucker by surprise.

From 2 a.m. until sunrise, these pests are at their best. It is at this moment that you need to go in search of parasites and their nests. When you turn on the light in the room, you may find small insects scattering around the bed, and some of them may just drink blood. Set your alarm and look around everything you can.

Treatment

It is important to know what to do if you are bitten by bedbugs in order to minimize the risk of developing an allergic reaction and prevent possible negative health consequences.

Therapy against allergic reactions is based on the use of antiallergic drugs and the involvement of the elimination complex. It is important to select medications only after consulting a doctor.

Antiallergic therapy

Therapy for bedbugs and the development of allergies includes taking antihistamines. Additionally, medications can be used to help remove toxins from the body and improve overall well-being.

Popular medications that are most often used for bedbug allergies are:

• Zyrtec.
• Claritin.
• Erius.
• Eden.
• Telfast.
• Pulmicort.
• Advanta.

To eliminate skin and other manifestations of a negative reaction from the body, the patient may be prescribed medications that have anti-edematous, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties.

It is not recommended to select any drug on your own, as this may cause the condition to worsen.

Elimination complex

An allergy to bedbugs occurs due to exposure of the body to substances that are part of biological fluids and waste products of bedbugs.

This pathology should be treated with medications and methods that include the elimination of potential allergens.

The elimination complex implies the mandatory implementation of events of this kind:

• It is necessary to boil or wash underwear, bed linen, and home textiles in hot water. After washing, it is advisable to freeze the items in the cold for three to five hours.
• It is recommended to remove old wallpaper and fill the cracks in the walls with silicone or another substance.
• It is important to treat all furniture, especially sofas and beds, since this is where the maximum number of parasites are most often localized and their nests are located. To remove blood-sucking insects, you need to cover the furniture with insecticides, steam, or lay out dry branches of wormwood and tansy.
• After treatment, it is recommended to take measures to help prevent the reappearance of parasites in the house. It is important to regularly carry out wet and dry cleaning, preferably with a vacuum cleaner. It is recommended to carry things in closets and bags that are hermetically sealed.

The above measures are effective only if the premises are slightly infested with bedbugs.

Against the backdrop of severe infestation, it is recommended to treat the premises with insecticidal preparations or seek help from a professional service.

Video

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