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Stinging Insects and Poisonous Plants Can Be Deadly | |
| By SPORTS AFIELD A Hearst Magazine For AP Special Features Contact with stinging insects and poisonous plants can really ruin your day, or week - or even prove fatal. Up to 2 million people suffer severe anaphylactic (allergy) reactions from encounters with bees, wasps, hornets and fire ants, Michael Segell wrote in an article in the current issue of Sports Afield, causing as many as 100 deaths in the United States annually. Most severe allergies show up in childhood, but only after a couple of contacts with stinging insects. A severe reaction typically won't arise on first exposure to bee venom - the body must first be sensitized to the poison. Symptoms usually begin with flushing and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue, hands and feet; wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and hoarseness follow; then headache, nausea, vomiting, cramps and the sense of losing consciousness. At the first sign of these symptoms, the patient should be taken to the nearest hospital. Anyone who is severely allergic can purchase a couple of special self-medication kits to keep in the medicine cabinet or car. Anaphylaxis can be reversed with a shot of epinephrine, a heart stimulant and bronchial-muscle relaxant. A new generation of hypodermics automatically injects the drug. Wasps, yellow jackets and hornets can sting repeatedly, but a honeybee can sting only once, leaving its stinger in the skin. It is wise to remove it as soon as possible because it's attached to a venom sac. The longer it is left in the skin, the more venom enters the body. You can scrape the stinger away with a fingernail or the edge of a credit card. Though not as potentially deadly as flying insects, certain plants can cause much misery. The three most common poisonous plants - poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac - appear everywhere in the United States except Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska. About 60 other plants also can cause allergic reactions. English ivy can produce rashes almost identical to those caused by the aforementioned trio. Gardeners also can encounter pesky allergens, such as sequiterpene lactone, an irritant found in chrysanthemums, asters, dahlias and magnolias that mimics the effects of poison ivy. As with bee stings, the first contact with a toxic plant may not induce a reaction, but merely sensitize you to the allergen. In poison oak, ivy and sumac, the culprit is a substance called urushiol, found in the sap, leaves, stems and roots of the plants. About 90 percent of all people are susceptible after they come into contact with the resin. Symptoms follow a typical pattern. They first emerge as a rash within 48 hours of contact. The raised lesions then turn into blisters, with mild to intense itching. The affected area is often hot, swollen and "weeping." Eventually the blisters dry and form a crust, which will clear within two to three weeks. Urushiol can retain its allergen status for up to two months. Some people come into contact with the plant's toxic sap by petting their dog, who has brushed up against the plant. If you know you have been exposed, wash the skin extensively to prevent infection from spreading. As long as the sap is removed, you can't infect others. The ensuing rash or fluid from your blisters is not infectious. If you are purging toxic plants from your property, don't burn them. The toxins could be released into the air and cause a severe reaction in anyone who inhales them. The best remedies for rashes are calamine lotion, cold compresses, cortisone creams - and time. Copyright 1996 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | |