Skeeter Syndrome
Mosquito bite! Who doesn’t get these? It is just another normal affair in our lives.
Whenever a mosquito bites on our skin, it creates a little pink bump that gradually starts fading after 24 hours of its appearance.
But what if it not only persists but causes a severe reaction? Sounds weird right!
So let us talk about such situation today.
What is skeeter syndrome?
Skeeter syndrome is a hypersensitive allergic reaction of the body to a mosquito bite. It is an inflammatory reaction accompanied by fever and other symptoms.
How does skeeter syndrome occur?
Scientifically, a mosquito needs at least 6 second of a contact with your skin to cause a reaction. It injects your skin with polypeptides that are the chains of amino acids present in its saliva. A mosquito uses proboscis that is their mouthpart, to pierce your skin and suck the blood. While sucking, they happen to inject some amount of its saliva into your skin that contains certain chemical that prevents the blood from clotting.
The mosquitoes that bite are generally female mosquitoes; males are not involved in it.
Is skeeter syndrome common? Why haven’t I heard about it before?
The reason you have not heard much about it is that it is a rare occurrence. However, people who get this are very prone to getting it multiple times over the time.
Who is more prone to skeeter syndrome?
- Babies are prone to this because of having low immunity.
- Children or adults that haven’t ever come in contact with that species before.
- People with weaker immune system tend to catch it often.
Signs and symptoms of skeeter syndrome
- Signs of inflammation
- Swelling
- Heat
- Redness
- Itching
- Bumps – pink in colour at the beginning, turn red accompanied with itchy feeling. As large as half an inch
- Bruising
- Blisters
Not as dangerous as that of bees and wasps.
Is skeeter syndrome dangerous?
Skeeter syndrome can be quite irritating and problematic but it is not as dangerous as the bite of bees and wasps.
How to diagnose skeeter syndrome?
It can be self-examined. There are no investigations as such. It can be determined by visible symptoms like swelling, itching ad large bumps.
When to see a doctor?
If you have fever, rash, severe headache, fatigue, nausea or vomiting, light sensitivity, confusion or neurological symptoms, do not take them lightly and go see your doctor immediately.
How to prevent skeeter syndrome?
- Get rid of their brooding place near your residence, if any.
Do not let any unused or stagnant water collect as it is the home for them to lay eggs in.
- Use mosquito-repellant lotions to protect your skin from mosquito bites.
- Cover your body to prevent mosquito bite before going out. Wear long sleeves, pants and scarf to cover your neck area.
- Avoid using strong perfumes.
Treatment of skeeter syndrome
- Cold compression
- Oral antihistamines
- Calamine lotion or topical steroids