Bed Bugs Bites

That is exactly what they do - they BITE! In fact the only way bed bugs can survive is to bite and then suck blood. Pretty revolting stuff, especially when you are a possible victim. The reality is that the bed bug population is increasing worldwide, so if you get bitten by a bed bug, you need to know how what the bite will look like and how to treat it.

Identifying bed bug bites

If you get bitten by bed bugs you will know that you have been bitten by something. You may not immediately identify though what has bitten you. You may have been bitten by any number of midges or mosquitoes and other flying biting insects, but usually you will have been aware of something buzzing around you before you are bitten. One of the biggest problems with bed bugs is that victims generally don't know what has bitten them, because they are elusive creatures that commonly emerge just before dawn. By the time you wake up and realize something has bitten you, they are back in their hidey holes reproducing.

According to medical reports, some people don't even realize they have been bitten, usually because either no antibodies develop, or because there are already antibodies circulating in the blood stream. On the other hand many people get either an immediate or a delayed reaction, and their skin will develop red, inflamed and typically raised weals where they have been bitten.

A so-called "immediate" reaction to a bed bug bite will become obvious anything from one to 24 hours after the bite was inflicted. The bites will often continue itching for two or more days. If the reaction to a bite is delayed, it will appear more than a day after being bitten, sometimes only two weeks later. Again the intense itching might continue for several more days.

Additional symptoms resulting from bed bites

People who get bitten often sometimes develop what the medics term "sensitivity syndrome". This may include continued jumpiness and sleeplessness. The victim may also become increasingly nervous. Once the bed bugs have been removed, or the person moves to a location where they are not present, the symptoms will eventually become less intense. It can take a relatively long period of time for them to disappear altogether.

Other adverse health effects that have been reported in international medical literature include:

• secondary infections caused by scratching bites (Bed bugs [Cimex lectularius] and clinical consequences of their bites, Goddard and deShazo 2009)
• anemia (Severe anemia from bed bugs, Pritchard and Hwang 2009)
• blisters that erupt on the skin (Disseminated bullous eruption with systemic reaction caused by Cimex lectularius, Liebold, Schliemann-Willers and Wollina 2003)
• asthma or aggravation of asthma (The relation between Cimex lectularius antingen and bronchial asthma in Egpyt, Abou Gamra et al 1991)
• genuine anaphylactic reactions that are death-threatening (Bed bug bite anaphylaxis misinterpreted as coronary occlusion, Parsons 1955)

How to treat bed bug bites

The first thing to do if you think you have been bitten by bed bugs is to wash the affected area and try not to scratch. The danger is that if you keep scratching the bite or bites they can easily become infected and much more damage will be done to the skin.

There are many herbal remedies on the market that will help to reduce swelling and itchiness, including aloe gels and various astringent creams. Anti-histamine creams manufactured to give rapid relief from allergic skin reactions, stings and bites, usually work well. Alternatively you can apply much less expensive calamine lotion; but reapply regularly as the effect wears off.

According to the World Health Organization, the best way to treat bed bug bites is to use a 1% hydrocortisone cream to help relieve the terrible itching. A cortisone cream will also reduce swelling and inflammation. If the itching persists, see a physician who will prescribe something more specific.