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DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Sign up below or read more about the DesertUSA newsletter here. It's Free. Enter E-Mail address:. Enter Email:. Most spider bites are harmless, and symptoms will go away after a few days.
Seek immediate medical care if you suspect the following. Learn how to safely and quickly remove a leech, as well as how to recognize a leech and when to seek immediate medical treatment. Termites feed off wood and live in dark environments. A noticeable bug bite is more likely to be from a different insect, but here's what you can look….
If you share a bed with your pets, you may find black specks called "flea dirt. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Identifying and Treating a Centipede Bite. Medically reviewed by Vincent J. Read on to learn more about identifying and treating a centipede bite.
What do centipedes look like? What does a centipede bite look like? What are the symptoms of a centipede bite? What complications can occur from a centipede bite?
Read this next. First Aid for Bites and Stings. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. Bug Bites and Stings. A tetanus shot and antibiotics may be given to prevent infection as well. You may be prescribed medicines to help relieve symptoms or to prevent infection. Be sure to follow all instructions for taking the medicines. Apply a cold compress to the sting site for about 15 minutes at a time. This helps ease pain, swelling, and itching.
Use a cool wet washcloth or crushed ice wrapped in a towel. Don't put ice directly on the skin. Note: Some people may prefer warm compresses. If you use these, check the skin often. In certain cases, warm compresses may make symptoms worse. To help prevent centipede stings in the future, take these steps to limit centipede exposure in the house:.
Signs of infection at the sting site. These include increased redness or streaking, warmth, bleeding, or foul-smelling drainage. Sometimes, the centipede may feel threatened by a human. Researchers have isolated more than components of centipede venom, but they have only described a few of these. Some of the components include chemicals that occur naturally in the brain, such as serotonin and histamine.
Researchers note that these chemicals do not typically cause neurological effects in humans. A few people have reported euphoric feelings, psychological effects, and memory disturbances following a centipede bite.
Researchers must continue to study centipede bites to determine the effect of the different components of centipede venom on humans.
People may feel anxious when a centipede bites them, due to both the pain of the bite and the appearance of the multi-legged creature. However, in most cases , a person will not need to seek medical attention because a centipede bite is rarely serious. If a person does see a doctor, the doctor may suggest using treatments to soothe the pain, itchiness, and swelling of the skin. However, the symptoms tend to resolve on their own within a few hours or a few days at most.
Some people may need a pain reliever, such as acetaminophen, or an anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen. Cortisone cream and antihistamines can also reduce symptoms of allergies. If a person experiences a severe allergic reaction to a centipede bite, such as an anaphylactic shock, they need immediate medical attention. Doctors treat anaphylactic shock with:. If someone is experiencing anaphylactic shock, epinephrine auto-injectors, such as an EpiPen, can reduce the symptoms and prevent death.
As centipede bites are uncommon, though, a person may not know that they are allergic to centipede venom until they receive a bite. As a result, they may not have an epinephrine auto-injector available. Read more about how to deal with insect bites here. People with centipede bites may experience local reactions in the affected area, but the symptoms will typically resolve within a few hours to a few days. In some situations, underlying diseases may affect the outlook of a person with a centipede bite.
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