Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 May;35(2):287-302.
doi: 10.1016/j.iac.2015.01.007. Epub 2015 Mar 6.

Anaphylaxis to insect stings

David B K Golden  1
Affiliations
Review

Anaphylaxis to insect stings

David B K Golden. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2015 May.

Abstract

Anaphylaxis to insect stings has occurred in 3% of adults and can be fatal even on the first reaction. Large local reactions are more frequent but rarely dangerous. The chance of a systemic reaction to a sting is 5% to 10% in large local reactors and in children with mild (cutaneous) systemic reactions, and varies between 30% and 65% in adults with previous systemic reactions, depending on the severity of previous sting reactions. Baseline serum tryptase level is increased in many patients with sting anaphylaxis. Venom immunotherapy is 75% to 98% effective in preventing sting anaphylaxis.

Keywords: Anaphylaxis; Diagnostic tests; Hymenoptera; Immunotherapy; Insect sting; Mastocytosis; Venom.

PubMed Disclaimer

Substances