Allergic to bed bugs? Allergists detect and treat often overlooked bites

Bed bugs can sometimes set off allergic reactions according to allergists at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in November this year.

Bed bug bites mostly manifest as mildly itchy red marks on the skins of non-allergic people, but people with allergies can experience intense itching, selling, redness, hives, blisters and the bugs can even trigger asthma attacks.

Since bed bugs are a growing epidemic, allergists are advised to familiarize themselves with the symptoms of bed bug attacks.

"The source of the reaction often goes undetected because symptoms can be written off as flea or horse fly bites," said allergist Dr Richard deShazo of the ACAAI Insect Hypersensitivity Committee. "If you have allergies or asthma and you don't know the cause of your skin irritation, see your allergist."

Source: Medical News Today

First published in 2010

 

Click here for more research reports

Top of page